THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


®:f)C  ffilitci)erB  ot  Sle^P 


'•  SLEEP,"  BY  Gabriel  Max 


SJe  ^itcjetg  of  Sleep 


<< 


J0^ 


Fair  thoughts  be  your  fair  pillow'''' 

— Shakespeare 

compiled  by 
WILLARD  MOYER 

New  York 

OSTERMOOR  ^  COMPANY 

1903 


^    I 


COPYRIGHT,   Ig02,  BY 

J.  W.  W.  MOVER 


THE  MILLER   PRESS 
NEW   YORK 


Come^  Sleep  ! 

Take  thou  of  me  smooth  pillows,  sweetest  bed; 
A  chamber,  deaf  to  noise  and  blind  to  light ; 
A  rosy  garland,  and  a  weary  head. 

— .S'^y  Philip  Sidney 


Come^  Sleep,  and  kiss  my  eyelids  down ; 
In  thy  twinklings  of  oblivion. 
Let  me  forget^ 


INTRODUCTION 


In  putting  forth  this  book  I  have  tried  to  cover  in 
logical  continuity,  a  number  of  important  features 
which  have  seemed  to  me  heretofore  neglected,  or  in 
any  case  merely  touched  upon  fugitively  by  others. 

The  theme  of  Sleep  is  an  exhaustive  one.  It  has 
so  many  aspects,  so  many  faces  and  forms,  that  to  take 
it  all  in  one  must  needs  be  endowed  with  the  qualities 
which  go  to  make  the  poet  and  philosopher,  linked  with 
the  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  specialist  in 
science  and  physics,  as  well  as  the  historian  of  evolution 
and  the  student  of  the  occult. 

Although  disclaiming  registration  in  any  of  the 
above  departments,  a  keen  interest  in  the  subject, 
combined  with  considerable  personal  study  and  inves- 
tigation along  the  above  mentioned  channels,  have 
been  the  motives  which  impelled  my  work. 

I  have  only  taken  those  which  have  long  been 
recognized  as  the  best  thoughts,  and  what  I  feel  positive 
are  the  surest  facts,  concerning  sleep,  no  matter  how 


obscure,  and  brought  them  together  my  own  way,  in 
an  endeavor  to  form  a  sequence  of  interest. 

As  much  of  the  material  I  have  assembled  has  never 
before  appeared  in  book  form,  and  still  more  has  not 
heretofore  been  given  —  in  the  "art  preservative" — 
its  best  apparel,  I  sincerely  trust,  that  notwithstanding 
what  I  may  have  left  undone,  my  readers,  appreciating 
the  witchery  of  sleep,  its  poetical,  refining  beauty 
and  its  marvelous  import  to  human  life,  will  feel  that 
I  have  given  it  the  full  dignity  to  which  so  vital  and 
important  a  theme  is  entitled. 

The  unique  illustrations  of  "Sleeping  Places," 
gathered  from  various  sources,  are  most  interesting 
examples  of  sleep — in  many  countries,  by  many  people, 
through  many  epochs,  extending  over  a  period  covering 
many  centuries. 

It  is  indeed  curious  to  find  there  is  not  a  more 
marked  difference  between  them,  notwithstanding  the 
extreme  dissimilarity  in  design,  treatment  and  decora- 
tion ;  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  early  Egyptian 
and  ancient  Chinese. 

WiLLARD  Mover. 


Shakespeare's  "great  bed  of  ware,"  foriMerly  of  rye  house 
BUT  NOW  at  Saracen's  head,  roxbury,  England 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Sleep: — WhenceCometh,  How  Goeth  I.An  Allegory 15 

The  Phenomena  of  Sleep An  Analysis 21 

The  Import  of  Sleep A  Study 27 

The  Value  of  Sleep A   Thought 33 

The  Habit  of  Sleep A  Suggestion 39 

Sleeplessness A  Little  Advice . . .  47 

Importance  of  the  Bed A  Necessity 61 

Sleeping  Places A  History 77 

Dreams A  Reverie 103 

The  Poetry  of  Sleep A  Review 105 

Shakespeare  on  Sleep. 

Selections    from     Henry    IV.,       Richard    III.,       Hamlet, 

Julius  Coesar,      Macbeth,       Othello in 

Sonnets  on  Sleep. 

Sonnet Shakespeare 115 

Sleeplessness Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti  116 

Sleep Samuel  Daniel 117 

The   World's  Prayer Anonymous 117 


Invocation  to  Sleep Sir  Philip  Sidney i iS 

Sonnet  to  Sleep Keats 119 

To  a  Girl  Asleep A.  E.  Lancaster 120 

To  Sleep Wordsworth 121 

Sleep's  Conquest C.  H.  Crandall 122 

The  Poetry  of  Dreams. 

Dream- Pedlary Thomas  Lovell  Beddoes  123 

She  I  Love Walter  Savage  Landor  124 

Abou  Ben  Adhem Leigh  Hunt 125 

The  Poet's  Dream Percy  Bysshe  Shelley.  126 

Song  of  the  Night Benjonson 127 

Heartsease M 127 

Rest  and  Sleep. 

Serenade Longfellow 129 

Oh,  the  N'ight Barry  Cornwall 130 

Oblivion Byron 131 

The  Sleep E.  B.  Browning 132 

In  the  Night Town  Topics 134 

Sleep Thomas  W.  Parsons. .  136 

Night  Thoughts Edward  Young 137 

The  Long  Day  Closes Anonymous 138 

Sleep Ada  Louise  Martin  .  .  139 

Cotne,  Sleep Dora  Read  Goodale.  .  .  140 

Sleep Dora  Read  Goodale .  . .  141 

To  a  Lady  Sleeping Tennyson 142 

The  Peace  of  the  Rain Mabel  Earle 142 

Lines Thomas  Hood 144 

To  a  Friend  who  has  Slept  III Edgar  Fawcett 144 

The  Sleeping  Beauty Tennyson 146 

Sleep Jean  Ingelow 147 

Curfew Longfellow 148 

When  Allah  Sends  the  Gift  of  Sleep.  .  .Mary  A.  Mason 149 

Insomnia Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti  150 

Love  Asleep Lord  Neaves , 151 

Sleep From  the  Spanish ....  152 

Night  Thought From  the  German ....  153 

Sleep Mrs.  Tighe 154 

Sleep F.   S.   Saltus 154 


Slumber  Songs  and  Lullabies. 

Lullaby  on  An  Infant  Chief Sco(t 155 

A  Child's  Evensong Richard  Le  Gallienne .  156 

The  Child  Asleep Longfellow 157 

The  Sandman Chicago  Daily  News .  .  158 

A  Cradle  Hymn Isaac  Watts 159 

A  Mother  s  Song Alexander  Smart ....  160 

Sweet  and  Low Tennyson 161 

The  Castles  of  Drowsy  Town Carrie  Shaw  Rice. . . .  162 

Nurse's  Song William  Blake 164 

Bye,  Baby,  Bye Anonytttous 165 

Shoheen  Sho ...  Irish  Cradle  Song ...    .  166 

Sleep,  Baby,  Sleep Elizabeth  Prentiss .  .  .  .  167 

The  Happy  Child William  B.  Rand. ....  168 

Good  Night Alice  Locke  Pitman ...  1 70 

Cradle  Song John  P.  Jackson 171 

Lullaby Dolly  Radford 172 

Sleepy  Man C.  G.  D.  Roberts 173 

Cradle  Song Samuel  Btirnham 1 74 

Slumber  Song Arthur  Macy 175 

A  Review  of  Sleep Anonymous 177 

Hygiene  of  Sleep Rules  to  observe 180 

How  Royalty  Sleeps When  slumber  reigns.  183 

Mechanical  Sleep Curious  devices 187 

An  Inspired  Sleeper Swedenborg 190 

Poor  Richard  Says  : — ^  .  .  . .  Benjamin  Franklin  .  .  191 

A  Symposium  of  Sleep:  Contributions  by  Dr.  Orison  Sweet 
Marden,  Rev.  Dr.  C.  H.  Parkhurst,  George  H.  Daniels, 
Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  Citizen  George  Francis  Train, 
Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Wu  Ting  Fang,  John 
Ernest  McCann,  Henry  Clews,  Dr.  Cyrus  Edson,  Thomas 

A.  Edison,  N.  C.  Goodwin 193 

Sleep  Facts  and  Fancies 201 


^  We  sleep  to  wakey 
Yet  wake  to  sleep  again.'' 


€i)e  ^itcijerg  of  Sleep 


WHENCE  COMETH— HOW  GOETH  ? 


LEEP  is  an  enchanting 
subject,  its  phenomena 
most  baffling.  Stealing  as 
subtly  o'er  us  as  night  o'er 
the  day,  obscure,  and  as 
little  understood  as  the 
tides — there  is  nowhere 
where  it  is  not.  Coming 
whence — going  whither  ?  It  is  formless,  permeat- 
ing, evanescent,  and  of  an  indescribable  witchery. 
Sleep,  next  to  love,  has  seemed  to  fascinate 
and  inspire  the  poets  by  its  delicate  substance  and 
mysterious  shadow.  And  yet  who  can  adequately 
expound  the  nature  of  sleep,  that  priceless  gift  of 
God  to  man. 


Witching 
mystery 


15 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


It  has  been  the  theme  of  the  world's  greatest 
writers,  from  PHny,  Lucretius,  Dante,  Ovid, 
Virgil,  Horace,  and  Shakespeare,  down  to  our 
own  days  and  nights  and  dreams. 

Philosophers  and  others  who  have  felt  and 
Alpha  and  expresscd  themselves  deeply  and  clearly  along 
Omega  certain  lines  of  nature  and  human   nature,  have 

not  as  yet,  strange  to  say,  opened  up  that  un- 
known vista  where  the  avenues  of  sleep  begin 
and  end.  They  have  ceased  to  explore  beyond 
the  myriad  by-paths. 

Love,  the  highest  of  all  the  spiritual  emotions, 
has  been  led  out  into  the  clearing  and  exposed  in 
the  lime-light  to  all  of  us.  Poetry  and  religion 
have  both  told  us  of  its  meaning  and  essence ; 
but,  apart  from  these  forces,  who  is  there  among 
us  that  does  not  feel  that  he  himself  has  been  to 
school  to  this  divine  teacher,  and  that  his  lesson 
has  been  well  learned  ? 

But  the  whys   and   wherefores    of  sleep    are 

Problems     mysterious  problems,  which  have  never  yet  been 

solved,  and  doubtless  never  will.      Scientists  to 

the    contrary    notwithstanding,  there    are  certain 

psychological  elements    of  our    existence,  which 

i6 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


serve  a  higher  purpose  than  man  can  fathom  and 
were  never  intended  for  the  ken  of  mortals. 

There  is  no  illusion  or  inspiration  behind  the 
scenes.  If  all  the  attributes  of  sleep  were  laid 
open  and  bare,  some  of  its  features  which  have 
been  glorified  for  us — which  we  ourselves  have 
conjured  into  pleasing  forms — would  lose  their 
beauty  of  perspective  and  proportion.  These, 
however,  are  but  the  ways  of  near-by  views ; 
which  always  rob  us  of  the  fine  imagination  and 
pretty  sentiment  that  glosses  over  prosaic  things. 

Probably  lamblichus,  the  Neoplatonist  mystic     ''The 
philosopher,  who  lived   in  Coele-Syria  seventeen      ^y-'^^>^' 
centuries  ago,  has  most  beautifully  expressed  the     soui" 
meaning    of  sleep    as,   "  The    night-time  of  the 
Body — and  the  day-time  of  the  Soul." 

Mythology,  which  has  given  form,  character 
and  history  to  all  its  deities,  has  enrolled  Sleep  as 
the  greatest  of  all  the  gods. 

In  ancient  Latin  mythology — Somnus,  son  of 
Night  (Hypnos  in  Greek),  the  God  of  Sleep, 
tranquilizer  of  mortal  minds,  soother  of  careworn 
mortal  hearts,  and  giver  of  temporary  oblivion, 
was  most  beloved. 


17 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Morpheus,    son     of    Somnus,    the    God    of 

Dreams,    was    prime    favorite   of  the    Muses,   as 

Dreams        distiller  of  mortal's  dreams  of  things  mortal ;    as 

were  Phoebactor,  who   presided  over  dreams    of 

animals,  and  Photaessae  over  inanimate  dreams. 

Ovid  and  Statius  describe  minutely  and  most 
charmingly  the  palace  of  the  King  of  Sleep,  where 
dwelt  also  his  mother,  Night,  goddess  of  that 
soft  and  murmuring  darkness,  which  lulls  to  sleep. 

According  to  Virgil,  the  Palace  of  Sleep  was 
found  near  the  entrance  to  Hades,  by  the  river 
YirM  Lethe.     Ovid    places    it    in    our   own   world,   in 

Ovid  Italy,    near    the    Lake    Avernus ;    while    Statius 

most  clearly  points  to  a  remote  situation  in  un- 
known parts  of  Ethiopia. 

All  image  the  place — most  singularly  alike — 
and  with  a  wealth  of  detail,  as  walled  in,  with  five 
gates,  named  Rest,  Ease,  Silence,  Indolence,  and 
Oblivion,  each  gate  at  all  times  surrounded  by 
various  attendants.  Inside  the  grounds  are  found 
a  multitude  of  Dreams, — inspirers  of  various  kinds 
and  forms, — all  subject  to  Morpheus,  or  his  two 
lesser  satellites,  Phoebactor  and  Photaessae. 

Immediately  before  the  exquisitely  fashioned 


Statius 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


palace,  built  of  bronze,  ebony,  basalt,  and 
various  dark  colored  inlaid  marbles  of  enormous 
size,  softly  murmuring  fountains  are  ever  flowing, 
encircled  by  quantities  of  brilliant,  perennially 
blooming  poppies,  mandragora,  and  various 
somniferous  herbs  of  many  kinds. 

Entering  the  palace,  gloaming  silence  reigns. 
There  Somnus  is  found  profoundly  sleeping  upon     a  picture 
a  couch  strewn  with  poppies.      By  his  side  a  lion     ^^suef 
crouches,  one  arm   carelessly   hanging   over   the 
lion's  head,  the  other  holding  a  horn  of  poppy 
juice  that  ever  drips  inducing  slumber. 

Drowsy  vapors  of  heavily  laden  fragrance  fill 
the  air.  The  space  is  vast,  peopled  by  many. 
Poppies  are  everywhere.  Innumerable  forms  lie 
postured  in  all  the  abandonment  of  unconscious 
sleep.  Arch  upon  arch  rises  one  after  the  other. 
Ever  the  shadows  are  deepening,  until  impene- 
trable darkness  ends  the  far  perspective  in  the 
dim  beyond. 

"  Darker  and  darker 

The  black  shadows  fall 
Sleep  and  oblivion 
Reign  over  all. " 

19 


THIS     CELEBRATED     COLONIAL      FOUR-POST      BED      (NOTE     THE    CURIOUS     OLD     HAND     MADE 
counterpane)   is  the  one  upon  which  henry  clay  SLEPT  AND  DIED. 


THE  PHENOMENA  OF  SLEEP. 


HE  cry  for  sleep  is  ever  greater  than 
the  cry  for  bread.  Existence  depends 
on  both;  but  we  eat  to  sleep,  while  we 
sleep  to  live.  Sleep  is  of  far  greater 
importance  than  food  for  the  preservation  of  life. 

Sleep  is  the  chiefest  thing  in  physic.  It  has 
neither  substitute  nor  rival.  Take  away  sleep, 
hope  even  is  gone,  nothing  is  left. 

Sleep  is  the  "off  duty"  time  of  consciousness  ; 
that  period  when  nothing  matters,  when  every- 
thing is  immaterial,  and  mysterious  nature  is 
alone  triumphant. 

The  onset  of  sleep  is  gradual,  sleep  general, 
being  made  up  of  many  little  sleeps,  premonitory 
intimations  that  nature  is  preparing  to  take  com- 
plete possession  of  our  body.  These  little  sleeps 
obscure  each  sense  as  well  as  the  physical  and 
muscular  organs,  slowly,  separately,  in  regular 
order,  one  after  another,  until  each  becomes  in- 
volved.    Simultaneously  the  brain  is  in  repose. 


The 

chiefest 

thing 


Many 
little  sleeps 


21 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sentries 


volition  ceases,  unconsciousness  is  complete,  and 
our  sleep  is  profound. 

Every  twenty-four  hours  we  go  to  sleep  and 
wake  up,  and  thus  every  day  we  prove  Nature's 
marvelous  wisdom,  even  to  the  smallest  details  of 
the  immutable  laws  ever  guarding  us. 

Our  five  senses  act  as  our  guardians,  guides, 
protectors,  and  when  we  sleep  the  most  vigilant 
and  important  of  them  is  last  to  go  oflF  duty  and 
first  to  come  on  duty  again. 

By  considering  these  little  things  we  become 
interested  in  the  big  things  of  the  universe ;  we 
learn  to  take  interest  in  ourselves — which  is  the 
beginning  of  philosophy ;  and  we  learn  that 
reverence  for  divine  wisdom,  which  is  both  the 
beginning  and  end  of  philosophy. 

The  body  we  inhabit  is  most  marvelously 
constructed.  The  brain,  undoubtedly  the  high- 
est development  of  the  body,  a  wonderfully 
complex  machine,  the  seat  of  thought  and  will,  is 
the  controlling  motor  of  the  entire  body. 

Our  individuality,  a  wonderful,  many-sided 
mystery,  without  form,  matter  or  name,  sits  in 
the  brain,  guiding  the  body,  like  a  grand  central 


Power 


22 


THE   MAGNIFICENT   STATE   BED   OF   LOUIS   XV.,    HANDSOMELY    CARVED 
AND    BURNISHED   IN   GOLD 


^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


operator  with  a  million  wires  controlling  an  im- 
mense electrical  system. 

The    heart,    an    engine,    works    on    forever, 
pumping    the    blood    that    feeds    the   brain    and     Engine 
makes  possible  its  work. 

The  eyes,  danger  signals,  with  the  aid  of  the 
nerves,  perceive  light,  and  the  ears,  also  danger 
signals,  aided  by  the  nerves  that  interpret  sound 
waves,  are  the  sentinels  of  nature,  while  the 
machinery  is  in  operation. 

During  sleep  only,  this  complex  internal 
mechanism,  through  a  multiplicity  of  sub  centers, 
does  that  peculiar  daily  housekeeping  on  which 
our  very  existence  depends.     Does  it,  too,  in  a 

•  ^      ^  •  -1      r  11  Mechan- 

certam  orderly  co-operative  way,  curiously  follow-  i^j^ 
ing  a  regular  method  of  work  both  intricate  and 
elaborate  in  repairing  waste,  actively  forming  new 
tissue,  and  giving  just  the  proper  amount  of  care 
and  nourishment  required  to  all  parts,  both  men- 
tal and  physical,  in  regular  sequence. 

Sleep  is  a  condition  of  recuperation,  and  a 
condition  of  danger.  The  forces  of  the  body, 
that  protect  us  and  guide  us  through  our  waking 
hours,  all  suspend  their  activities,  as  each  of  our 

23 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


vital  centers  stores  up  fresh  energy  for  the  work 
of  the  coming  day. 

During  sleep  we  are  unprotected  and  at  the 
j^  mercy    of  enemies,    but   nature   cautiously   does 

Natures  what  she  Can  to  protect  us.  Our  guardian  senses 
^eping  ^^  j^^j.  jg^yg  yg  ^  ^^  once.  Each  in  turn  suc- 
cumbs to  sleep  and  gives  up  its  watchfulness. 

Of  all  things  that  protect  us  from  danger 
when  awake,  our  eyes  are  most  important ;  but 
sleep  normally  comes  with  darkness,  when  sight 
is  useless.  Therefore,  when  we  sleep  the  eyes 
close  first  of  all,  and  the  sense  of  seeing  is  at  rest. 

Next  after  sight,  taste  goes.  As  a  man  gets 
drowsy,  the  nerves  of  taste  follow  the  optic  nerves 
into  oblivion. 

Then  the  sense  of  smell  goes  to  sleep.  Smell 
is  but  a  minor  protector,  and  therefore  among  the 
first  to  depart. 

When  a  man  is  "half  asleep"  his  sight  is  gone, 
his    sense    of  taste   and   smell   are  gone.     Next 

/  ohtioii  <-> 

ceases  hearing  succumbs,  and,  last  of  all,  he  loses  the 

sense  of  touch. 

The  sense  of  touch,  warning  us  of  the  closest 
possible  approach  of  danger,  is  most  important, 


24 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


and  stays  awake  and  on  guard  to  the  very  last ; 
and  in  many  people  is  so  acute  that  it  is  never 
more  than  merely  dormant,  and  due  to  its  impor- 
tance is  the  very  first  of  our  senses  to  wake  up. 

The  same  gradual  loss  of  power  is  observed 
in  the  muscles  and  sinews.  Slumber  begins  at 
the  feet  and  slowly  spreads  up  the  Hmbs  and  oblivion 
trunk  until  it  reaches  the  brain,  when  uncon- 
sciousness is  complete,  the  body  is  at  rest,  and 
we  are  fast  asleep. 

When  we  awake  the  same  process  occurs — 
but  reversed. 

The  quickest  way  to  awaken  a  man  is  to  pinch 
him,  for  the  sense  of  touch  acts  most  quickly. 
The  next  quickest  way  is  to  shout  at  him. 
Then,  but  more  slowly,  he  can  be  awakened  by 
some  strong  odor. 

Finally,  last  of  all,  the  sense  of  taste  comes 
back  as  an  awakener.  All  these  are  normal  end- 
ings of  healthy,  refreshing  sleep. 


25 


MODERN    REPRODUCTION  OF    AN    OLD    FASHIONED  FOUR-POST  BEDSTEAD  WITH 
EMBROIDERED  LINEN  HANGINGS  (FROM  A  NEWPORT  "  COTTAGE  ") 


FRENCH    RENAISSANCE    CARVED    OAK    BED    (15TH    CENTURY) 


THE  IMPORT  OF  SLEEP. 

LEEP  is  the  resting  time  of  conscious- 
ness. During  sleep,  when  the  brain 
and  the  whole  nervous  system  is  "off 
duty,"  and  in  a  quiescent,  somnolent, 
unconscious  state,  recuperation  really  occurs. 

Unconsciousness  represents  the  best  condition 
for  recuperation,  and  what  we  understand  as 
normal  unconsciousness,  is  sleep. 

Nature  then  is  in  absolute  control  of  that 
wonderful  mechanism  which  mysteriously  results 
in  ultimate  nutrition;  that  is,  the  restoration  .of  all 
the  vital  forces,  by  the  conversion  of  the  blood 
elements  contained  in  food,  and  their  perfect 
absorbtion  into  the  various  structures  and  blood 
cells  of  the  body. 

Recuperation  comes  from  the  upbuilding  of 
the  nerve  centers  and  muscular  structures,  and  a 
general  reconstruction  of  the  tissues,  including  the 
fluid  of  the  body.  The  ultimate  nutrition — that 
exchange  between  the   tissues    of  the   body,  the 

27 


Ultimate 
nutrition 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


blood  and  excretory  fluids,  takes  place  during 
sleep,  and  only  during  sleep. 

This  occurs  much  more  rapidly  and  thor- 
oughly before  midnight,  because  then  there  is  a 
sleep  more  thorough  circulation  of  the  blood,  carrying 

the  new  material,  and  removing  the  waste. 

There  is  also  a  greater  consumption  of  oxygen 
before  midnight  than  after,  until  the  sleeper  arises 
and  stirs  about  next  morning.  Oxygen  is  the  one 
thing  needed  in  order  that  this  ultimate  nutrition, 
this  interchange  so  vital  to  health,  shall  readily 
and  healthfully  take  place. 

The  heart  runs  down  in  force  after  midnight 
until  sunrise  next  morning.  The  pulse  beats 
more  slowly,  and  less  strongly  ;  the  vital  processes 
are  slower ;  the  circulation  is  more  sluggish  ;  and 
the  blood  and  tissues  contain  more  waste  and 
poisonous  material  than  earlier  in  the  night.  This 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  nightmare,  dreams, 
convulsions,  croup,  attacks  of  illness,  and  even 
death,  usually  occur  with  more  frequency  after 
midnight  than  before. 

One  often  hears  it  said  by  people  who  like  to 
sit  up  far  into  the  night,  and  lie  in  bed  late  in  the 

28 


Because 


T'he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


morning,    that    the    morning   nap   is   particularly 

refreshing.     This   may  seem  so,  but  it  is  a  fact 

that   for   purposes   of  best   recuperation   the   old     Recupem- 

adage  of  "  an  hour  before  midnight  is  worth  two     ^""^ 

after    it,"  points    unerringly    to    the    better    way 

physically. 

Another  reason  why  early  sleep  is  better  than 
late,  is  because  the  muscles  of  the  brain  and  other 
nerve  centers  rest  more  quickly  and  thoroughly 
before  reaching  the  point  of  strain  or  exhaustion 
than  they  will  after.  Therefore,  to  prolong  ex- 
citement, study  or  fatigue  of  any  sort  late  into 
the  night  is  to  prejudice  recuperation,  and  leads 
to  ultimate  ill  health. 

Remember,  ultimate  nutrition  can  take  place 
but  slowly,  unless  plenty  of  ogygen  is  consumed. 
As  the  consumption  of  oxygen  is  less  in  sleep 
than  at  other  times,  the  greater  is  the  necessity  Fuel 
for  plenty  of  fresh,  pure  air,  in  order  that  nature 
may  have  all  the  materials  needed  during  her 
hours  of  recuperation. 

The  more  active  and  energetic  the  waking  life 
of  the  normal  individual  has  been,  the  deeper  will 
be   his   sleep.      A   man   exhausted   physically   or 

29 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


mentally  recuperates  those  portions  of  his  brain  in 
which  are  located  the  centers  presiding  over  the 
exhausted  parts,  during  the  sleeping  period.     In 

Deep  sleep         111  i 

these  exhausted  nerve  centers  the  unconsciousness 
is  deeper  than  elsewhere,  in  order  that  the  rest 
may  be  more  complete. 

This  is  best  appreciated  when  we  observe  the 
effect  of  sleep  upon  the  brain  of  a  person  who 
has  suffered  intense  grief.  When  such  a  person 
sleeps,  grief  is  completely  forgotten  ;  no  dream 
recalls  the  misfortune. 

Even  on  awakening,  it  is  a  little  time  before 
the  exact  nature  of  the  misfortune  can  be  remem- 
bered. At  first  there  is  a  vague,  uneasy  feeling 
of  mental  suffering,  a  sensation  of  sorrow,  a  dull 
realization  of  pain,  but  its  exact  nature  is  but 
slowly  located,  and  then  only  is  placed  by  a 
distinct  mental   effort. 

The  food  which  we  eat  is  digested  and  trans- 
Trans-  formed  into  new  tissues,  blood,  nerve,  muscle  and 
formation     ^j-^jj^^  Qj^jy  while  we  are  sleeping. 

The  men  who  engage  in  the  atrocious  six-day 
"  endurance  "  races  eat  enormously,  absorbing  in 
one  day  five  times  as  much  as  the  ordinary  man 

30 


A    POMPEIAN    BED.       REDRAWN    FROM    AN    OLD    MANUSCRIPT    FOUND    IN    THE 
BRITISH   MUSEUM 


T/;f  Witchery  of  Sleep 


can  possibly  swallow  ;  and  yet  the  end  of  their 
task  finds  them  extremely  emaciated.  Lack  of 
sleep  has  made  it  impossible  for  them  to  transform 
the  food  into  new  tissue.  Their  vitality  is  gone, 
and  they  are  subjects  of  physical  exhaustion. 

The  faster  the  pace,  now  becoming  so  alarm- 
ingly hurried  in  all  lines  that  many  good  people     Preserv. 
are    compelled    to    withdraw  from  the  strenuous     ^"^   '^ 

A  J!/Si 

race,  the  greater  the  need  for  that   recuperation     balance" 
which  can  only  be  secured  through  sleep. 

To  expend  more  nervous  energy  each  day 
than  can  be  evolved  by  food  and  sleep,  is  to 
become  physically  bankrupt  in  a  short  period  ; 
hence  the  absolute  necessity  of  permitting  nature 
to  have  her  required  time  to  restore  the  lost 
vitality  which  fully  preserves  that  "just  balance  " 
called  health. 

The  loss  of  a  single  night's  sleep  shows  its 
effects  on  the  nervous  system  in  the  exhaustion, 
drowsiness,  irritability,  mental  disturbance,  and 
digestive  derangements  which  ensue.  The  tone 
of  the  whole  body  is  lowered  to  such  a  degree 
that  it  invariably  requires  more  than  one  good 
night's  sleep  to  restore  one  to  one's  accustomed 

31 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


mental  and  physical  state,  justifying  the  old  saying 
that  "one  good  night's  sleep  requires  another." 

In  severe  diseases,  especially  typhoid  fever, 
lack  of  sleep  endangers  life  by  increasing  the  en- 
feeblement  and  exhaustion  at  a  critical  juncture, 
when  a  refreshing  and  quiet  sleep  would  vastly 
increase  and  preserve  the  limited  store  of  strength 
the  patient  possesses.  In  cases  such  as  these 
sleep  is  an  all  powerful  curative  agent,  sufficient 
of  itself  to  determine  recovery. 

Sleep  is  a  life  giver  as  well  as  a  life  saver. 


Its 

injltt 


A  HAND  MADE  FLEMISH  CRADLE  OF  THE  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY 


32 


THE   VALUE    OF   SLEEP. 


T  is  only  the  sleepless,  the  poets,  and 
the  medical  journals  who  put  the 
proper  value  upon  sleep.  Fortunately 
for  the  world,  many  millions  of  men 
never  worry  about  going  to  sleep.  All  they  seem 
to  need  is  to  find  time  ;  for  even  without  a  bed  for 
sleep-seeking  —  sleep  comes  to  them. 

But  to  many  the  sleep  problem  is  as  impor- 
tant and  as  terrifying  as  that  other  overwhelming 
query  —  "  how  to  digest." 

It  is  worth  while  to  help  solve  these  problems. 
For  the  most  useful  work  that  is  done  in  this 
world  is  the  work  that  uses  up  the  nerves  and 
fatigues  the  brain,  causing  sleeplessness,  and  the 
suffering  that  accompanies  it. 

The  worn-out  sufferer  from  insomnia,  declar- 
ing himself  ready  to  sacrifice  his  fortune  for  a  few 
years  of  his  alloted  life  time  —  Shakespeare,  with 
his  "sleep  that  knits  up  the  raveled  sleeve  of  care," 
and  the  doctors,  with   their  diatribes  against  the 


Sleep 
problems 


Insomnia 


zz 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


sleep-destroying  modern   life,   are  the  ones  who 
truly  appreciate  sleep,   not  those  who   have  the 
power  of  sinking  calmly  and  promptly  to  rest. 
Unfortunately,  modern  conditions  are  rapidly 
Are  we         putting  all  the  world  in  the  appreciative  frame  of 
sleepless?      mind  of  the  slccpless.     Nerve  specialists  say  that 
there  never  before  was  a  time  when  the  people 
needed  to  sleep  so  uninterruptedly  and  so  long, 
to  repair  the  ravages  of  too  tense  and  too  noisy 
living  as  now ;  and  there  never  was  a  time  when 
they  were  so  little  able  to  sleep  as  they  should, 
because  of  these  very  conditions  which  make  abun- 
dant sleep  necessary. 

Sleep  follows  the  diminution  of  blood  in  the 
cerebral  vessels.  The  blood  is  squeezed  out  of 
the  brain  like  water  from  a  sponge,  and  it  becomes 
in  a  measure  bloodless.  This  bloodless  condition 
Blood  ebb  is  indispensable ;  without  it  sleep  cannot  be  in- 
and  flow  Juced.  Wakefulness  means  a  full  flow  of  blood 
through  the  brain.  Whatever,  then,  tends  to 
withdraw  the  blood  from  the  brain  tends  to  pro- 
duce sleep. 

In   perfectly   healthy  persons,  leading  a  per- 
fectly normal  life,  this  change  is  automatic.     The 

34 


T:'he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


blood  ebbs  away  from  the  brain  because  it  is  time 
the  brain  had  a  rest,  and  sleep  slowly  steals  the 
senses.  But  there  are  not  many  perfectly  healthy 
persons  in  these  days,  and  the  perfectly  normal 
life  is  even  rarer. 

Mental  activity  requires  just  the  opposite  Mental 
condition.  Severe  mental  labor  must  be  fed  by  activity 
means  of  an  increased  blood  supply.  We  recog- 
nize this  when  we  notice  how  red  and  congested 
becomes  the  face  of  any  one  who  is  making  a 
mental  exertion — a  public  speaker  for  example. 
All  the  blood  vessels  of  the  head  are  affected  by 
this  congestion.  The  mental  energy  exerted  uses 
up  force,  which  must  be  replaced  at  once.  Nature, 
therefore,  sends  blood  to  these  parts  on  a  hurry 
call  to  re-supply  the  cells  with  vitality. 

Anger  and  fits  of  passion  use  up  more  mental  An^er 
energy  than  physical  labor,  no  matter  how  ex-  <^o.ugerous 
hausting  the  work  may  be.  Naturally  irritable, 
nervous  people  are  subject  to  insomnia.  Repeated 
attacks  of  the  brain  congestion  which  accompany 
anger,  weaken  the  walls  of  the  blood  vessels  in  the 
head,  and  cause  a  dangerous  passive  congestion 
which  prevents  natural  sleep. 


Z^ 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Over 

exertion 


During  mental  exertion  of  any  kind,  the 
cerebral  vessels  become  distended,  owing  to  the 
increased  volume  of  blood  they  contain,  and  they 
remain  in  this  condition  as  long  as  the  exertion  is 
continued.  If  it  be  too  intense,  or  if  it  be  per- 
severed in  for  too  long  a  period,  the  vessels  lose 
their  contractibility,  and  remain  in  a  permanently 
enlarged  state.  They  are  not  able  to  contract,  and 
wakefulness  is  the  result ;  for  when  the  blood 
vessels  are  unable  to  empty  themselves,  the  power 
to  sleep  is  gone.  Just  like  the  rubber  bands  we 
often  use  around  big  packages,  and  leave  undis- 
turbed for  a  long  time,  which  w-e  try  to  use  again, 
only  to  find  their  elasticity  gone. 

We  often  hear  thoughtless  people  say,  "  work 
never  kills."  I  doubt  if  physical  labor  ever  does, 
nor  healthy,  well  arranged  work,  however  ex- 
hausting. But  I  cannot  paint  too  strongly,  the 
evils  of  badly  balanced  mental  overwork,  or  the 
disastrous  consequences  of  that  unvarying,  or 
excessive  work,  which  gradually  irritates  the 
nervous  system  to  the  snapping  point ;  when  the 
occasional  disturbed  sleep  becomes  that  of  utter 
sleeplessness. 


Irritation 


36 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


EGYPTIAN  COUCH-BEDSTEAD CARVED  WOOD,  GILDEO  AND  HIGHLY  COLORED 


Interfe. 

ence 


Sound  nervous  structures  properly  nourished, 
adequately  rested,  and  rightly  exercised,  are  fun- 
damental desiderata  for  good  sleep  ;  on  the  other 
hand  all  circumstances  interfering  with  the  health, 
nutrition,  repose,  or  the  even  placid  working  of 
the  nervous  textures,  are  decidedly  detrimental  to 
the  function  of  sleep. 

Sleep  has  both  its  normal  and  abnormal  side. 
Numerous  diseased  conditions  affect  and  disturb 
it.  The  cause  of  these  effects  is  sleeplessness,  or 
insomnia.  This  condition,  of  course,  is  only  a 
symptom  of  some  underlying  cause  which  pro- 
duces it,  but  it  is  usually  a  symptom  much  more 
serious  in  its  consequences  than  the  condition 
causing  it. 


37 


THE  "camp"  or  "field"  BED  USED  BY  THE  LATE  EMPEROR  WILLIAM  OF   GERMANY, 
A  NOTED  SLEEPER,  OF  WELL-BALANCED  HEALTH 


A    FRENCH    GOTHIC    BED    OK    THE    17TH    CENTURY,    STUX    IN    USE    IN    A 
CELEBRATED    OLD    FRENCH    CHATEAU 


THE    HABIT   OF   SLEEP. 


N  these  strenuous  days  of  increasing 
mental  excitement  and  waste  of  ex- 
treme physical  energies,  consequent 
upon  the  keen  competition  in  the  race 
for  supremacy,  many  lives  are  simply  thrown 
away  ;  burnt  out,  by  a  reckless  disregard  of  na- 
ture's immutable  laws  ;  the  most  vital  of  all  being 
lack  of  sufficient  sleep,  and  the  consequent  loss 
of  health,  and  all  that  is  "  worth  while." 

As  a  race,  we  sleep  far  too  little.  An  infant's 
life  is  nearly  all  sleep.  Gradually,  as  the  child 
grows  older,  the  hours  of  sleep  are  shortened  to 
half  the  day,  or  about  twelve  hours. 

Youth,  until  the  age  of  twenty  is  reached, 
requires  fully  ten  hours'  sleep. 

Although  nature  demands  less  hours  of  sleep 
in  summer  than  in  winter,  it  has  been  proven  that 
eight   hours   of  sound   sleep  is  sufficient  for  the     hours 
average  male  adult  In  good  health.       By  this  is 
meant  not  simply  eight  hours  in  bed,  but  that 


Nature 

demands 

cizht 


39 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Cheating 
nature 


amount  of  solid,  restful  sleep,   night  after  night. 

Men  really  need  to  sleep  fully  eight  hours, 
and  men  require  less  sleep  than  women. 

When  this  period  is  voluntarily  limited,  the 
animal  part  of  the  body  secures  all  the  benefit  of 
rest,  robbing  the  brain,  the  most  important  of  all, 
of  its  strength  and  virility.  Experience  readily 
verifies  this. 

We  begin  life  with  a  certain  amount  of  vitality, 
a  certain  initial  vital  velocity,  the  capital  which 
carries  us  through  life  and  makes  possible  certain 
accomplishments. 

When  we  deprive  ourselves  of  sleep,  we 
squander  this  original  capital,  just  as  surely  as  the 
young  spendthrift  ruins  himself  financially  when 
vitaiit  ^^  throws  away  his  money  ;  just  so  surely  do  we 

bring  upon  ourselves  irreparable  loss  through  the 
squandering  of  our  vitality  by  too  little  sleep. 

Day  after  day,  through  thoughtless  ambition, 
or  with  a  foolish  idea  of  self-control,  many  compel 
themselves  to  sleep  too  little,  and  so,  recklessly 
injure  there  chances  in  life,  ruin  their  self-poise, 
and  are  thus  unable  when  opportunity  arises  to 
seize  it  with  the  vigor  of  a  clear  brain. 


40 


T/^f  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Youth 
sleeps 


Every  one  who  can  sleep  eight  hours,  or  even 
longer,  without  waking,  should  do  so.  The 
younger  the  human  being  the  more  sleep  he 
requires.  Many  a  man  past  middle  age  rebukes 
his  son  because  he  lies  lazily  abed  in  the  morning. 

This  is  a  grave  mistake,  for  as  a  matter  of  fact     Age  dozes 
he  should  have  longer  hours  of  sleep,  as  youth 
makes  a  far  greater  demand  on  the  repairs  of  sleep 
than  age. 

Age  can  doze,  youth  must  sleep. 

It  is  mainly  the  young  who  need  the  ^ecture 
on  sleep,  for  the  experience  of  years  soon  proves 
the  folly  of  cheating  nature  by  adding  but  a  few 
hours  of  drowsy  consciousness  to  the  day. 

Any  man,  or  even  woman,  who  has  suffered 
from  sleeplessness  will  personally  confirm  the 
statement  that  lack  of  sleep  not  only  diminishes 
vitality  more  quickly  than  anything  else,  but 
decreases  weight  as  well. 

Woman  possesses  more  nervous  excitability 
than  man,  and  requires  more  sleep  than  man. 
Her  pulse  beats  five  times  more  per  minute  than 
his,  yet  women  can  bear  the  loss  of  sleep  far 
better  than  men.     The  length  of  time  they  can 


Woman 
requires 


41 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Excep- 
tions 


devote  to  night  nursing  in  response  to  calls  of 
affection  or  duty,  has  scarcely  any  limit. 

Motherhood  makes  just  such  demands,  and  it 
would  seem  that  nature  aids  the  mother,  enabling 
her  to  withstand  the  necessary  strain. 

Some  physicians  claim  that  the  senses  of 
hearing  and  touch  are  never  entirely  dormant  in  a 
mother  with  a  babe.  Women  at  these  times — for 
a  limited  period — recuperate  on  a  smaller  per- 
centage of  sleep  than  usual,  but  the  strain  if  long 
continued,  soon  tells. 

Lack  of  sufficient  sleep  may  not  at  first  affect 
us  physically,  unless  it  occurs  frequently.  We 
may  be  able  to  walk  and  run,  and  all  our  physical 
functions  may  be  in  good  working  order,  after  an 
occasional  insufficiency  of  sleep. 

The  brain,  however,  feels  it  at  once,  and  does 
not  work  clearly  ;  it  is  dull  and  inert.  Thought 
is  an  effort ;  and  if  we  continue  to  compel  our- 
selves to  shortage  of  sleep,  brain  fag,  and  a  highly 
nervous  condition  soon  results. 

Although  the  other  parts  of  our  body  may 
have  clearly  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  sleep,  even  but 
of  a  few  hours,  as  the  physical   makes   the  first 


Affects  the 
brain 


42 


THE    STATE  BED  OF  GEURGE  IV.,  DESIGNED  BY  HEPPLEWAITE.       CARVED 
MAHOGANY,  BRASS   INLAY    AND    APPLIED    ORNAMENTS 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sleep 
means  life 


demands  through  nature  —  the  brain  has  had  no 
benefit  whatever,  no  rest,  no  recuperation;  and  yet 
all  our  prosperity  depends  entirely  on  the  quality 
of  work  that  our  brain  performs. 

Remember,  when  you  hear  any  one  brag 
foolishly  about  going  without  sleep,  that : 

A  man  can  go  forty  days  without  solid  food. 

He  can  live  seven  days  or  even  longer,  with- 
out food  or  water. 

He  can  live  but  seven  days  without  sleep. 

The  Chinese,  ingenious  in  devising  tortures, 
discovered  no  more  tormenting,  horrible  death 
than  killing  their  victims  by  deprivation  of  sleep. 

No  man  can  deprive  himself  of  sleep,  or  sleep 
irregularly,  without  suffering  permanently,  or  with- 
out greatly  compromising  his  health  and  seriously 
diminishing  his  chances  of  success  in  this  world. 

Many  a  wealthy  woman  looks  at  the  healthy 
child  of  the  gardener,  and  wonders  why  her  child 
is  so  different. 

The  reason  is  simple.  The  gardener's  wife 
did  not  cheat  her  child  by  giving  to  balls  and  late 
hours  of  pleasure  the  time  required  to  supply 
through  sleep  that  vitality  needed  by  her  babies. 


Mother- 
hood 


43 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Success 

and 

happiness 


The  woman  who  loses  sleep  will  make  a 
failure  of  her  children. 

The  man  who  loses  sleep  will  make  a  failure 
of  his  life,  or  at  least  diminish  greatly  his  chances 
of  success. 

Therefore  Sleep — Sleep. — Get  all  the  normal 
sleep  you  can.  Sleep  means  health,  and  health 
means  happiness. 

Don't  cheat  your  brains  by  too  little  sleep. 
Don't  cheat  your  children's  brains. 

Persons  exhausting  more  nervous  and  muscu- 
lar force  each  day  than  their  organic  capacity  can 
restore,  either  through  unusual  strain  of  emotion, 
intellect  or  muscle,  require  more  sleep  than  eight 
hours  to  repair  such  ravages,  and  adjust  the 
economy  of  wear  and  tear. 

Many  persons  in  good  health,  but  of  slow 
habit,  cannot  be  at  their  best  without  nine,  or  even 
ten  hours  sleep  at  night,  the  normal  eight  hours 
of  sleep  being  insufficient  for  recuperation,  as  their 
functions  are  but  languidly  profound. 

Those  living  serene,  placid,  uneventful  lives 
require  less  sleep  than  the  average,  but  usually 
sleep  longer,  yet  they  tire  more  slowly,  for  their 


Exceeding 

eight 
hours 


44 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


lives  are   totally   without   the    perpetual    nervous 
strain  of  the  active  social  or  professional  life. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  some  men  of  genius 
seem  to  have  required  a  less  number  of  hours  for     Stories  of 
sleep  than  eight.     We   are   told   that   Napoleon,     ^nj^l^s 
Mirabeau,  Goethe,  and  Humboldt,  all  slept  for 
an  average  period  of  less  than  eight  hours. 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  a  very  few  of 
these  great  minds  seems  to  have  been  an  endur- 
ance that  enabled  them  to  perform  a  prodigious 
amount  of  mental  labor  without  tiring.  We  learn, 
however,  from  those  who  surrounded  them,  that 
when  they  did  sleep,  oblivion  was  complete. 
Their  recuperative  powers  seem  to  have  been  as 
remarkable  as  was  their  mental  activity,  but  their 
hours  of  sleep  were  by  no  means  regular,  for  they 
often  far  exceeded  even  half  the  day ;  and  it  is  to 
be  presumed  they  really  averaged  more  than  the 
normal  eight  hours,  or  suffered  accordingly. 

For  instance:    Napoleon,  after  the  battle  of 
Aspern,    the  first  battle  he   lost,   after  seventeen 
consecutive    actions,    fell    asleep,    and    slept    for     Napoleon 
thirty-six  hours.      He  was  thought  to  be  dying,     example 
his  unconsciousness  was  so  profound.     The  worry 

45. 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


of  his   defeat   being   so  intense,  and   his   mental 
vitahty  so  exhausted,  called  for  an  unusual  amount 
of  recuperation,  which  nature,  he  being  in  normal 
health,  thus  supplied  through  sleep. 
The  bad  Most   of  the  mischievous  stories  told  abou<- 

effect  t:he  ability  of  great  men  to  do  without  sleep  are 

untrue ;  and  the  foolish  man  who  reads  that 
Napoleon  slept  only  three  or  four  hours  at  night, 
and  cuts  down  his  own  hours  of  sleep,  might 
better  open  a  vein  and  lose  a  quart  of  blood  than 
lose  the  sleep  which  is  life  itself. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  Napoleon,  an  in- 
conceivably foolish,  reckless  man,  in  matters 
affecting  his  physical  welfare,  did  deprive  him- 
self of  sleep  in  his  early  years.  But  he  paid  for 
it  dearly.  In  his  last  battles  his  power  of  resis- 
tance was  so  slight  that  he  actually  went  to  sleep 
during  the  fighting.  Chronic  drowsiness  weak- 
ened his  brain,  weakened  his  force  of  character. 
The  foundation  of  his  downfall  was  laid  in  Russia, 
when  lack  of  sleep,  and  unwise  living  generally, 
had  taken  away  his  mental  elasticity,  deprived 
him  of  all  power  to  form  and  carry  out  resolutions, 
and  resulted  in  his  final  ruin. 


Means 
ruin 


46 


SLEEPLESSNESS. 

LEEPLESSNESS  is  a  condition  of 
poverty,  both  mental  and  physical. 
As  one  suffers  through  an  occa- 
sionally  empty  purse,  so  one  suffers, 
both  physically  and  mentally,  through  occasional 
lack  of  sleep.  Utter  destitution  pecuniarily 
can  far  better  be  borne  than  the  destitution  of 
sleep. 

Sleeplessness  is  not  only  the  source  of  much 
misery  and  discomfort,  but  it  entails  upon  the 
sufferer  a  grievous  hardship,  in  that  one  has  to 
fight   the   battle   of  life   in  a  maimed  condition,     bankrupt 

"  _  _  ^  nerves 

Deprived  of  the  nightly  restoration  of  po-  and 
tential  energy,  the  brain  grows  weary,  and  one's  strength 
whole  mental  and  physical  vigor  becomes 
impaired.  Persistence  in  striving  to  work  under 
these  circumstances  only  encroaches  upon  that 
fund  of  reserved  force  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
lead  eventually  to  total  nervous  and  physical 
bankruptcy. 

47 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


''Over" 
dangers 


Our  power  to  work  is  intimately  related  to 
our  ability  to  sleep,  and  there  is  no  more  reliable 
indication  of  sound  health  than  the  capacity  to 
sleep  naturally. 

There  are  various  forms  of  occasional  sleep- 
lessness :  the  wakefulness  attendant  upon  worry, 
excitement,  grief,  overwork,  overeating,  over- 
stimulation, and  all  the  other  "overs."  There  is 
the  sleeplessness  that  at  first  accompanies  strange 
surroundings,  and  the  sleeplessness  that  some- 
times follows  upon  too  familiar  surroundings, 
when  a  slight  change  becomes  neccessary.  There 
is  the  sleeplessness  due  to  noise,  and,  paradoxical 
as  it  may  seem,  there  has  been  sleeplessness  due 
to  silence. 

The  chief  danger  with  all  forms  of  occasional 
sleeplessness  is  that  they  are  likely  to  become 
chronic,  and  from  having  an  occasional  "  bad 
night "  one  passes  to  that  serious  pathological 
state,  where  one  is  really  a  victim  of  insomnia 
— that  dreadful,  baffling,  and  almost  incurable 
disease,  which  paves  the  way  for  melancholia  and 
all  sorts  of  mental  derangements.  It  is  therefore 
wise   to   begin   the  fight  against  sleeplessness  or 

48 


Chronic 


fmL 


','«^««i-5?k;j.^'. 


NAI'OLEONIC,    OR    FIRST    EMPIRE    BED.       A    SPLENDID    EXAMPLE    OF    THE 
PERIOD,    NOW    TO    BE    FOUND    IN    ENGLAND 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


broken    slumbers    as    soon    as    these    begin  ;    not 
waiting  for  them  to  become  actual  maladies. 

In  ordinary  cases  of  insomnia,  the  ability  to 
sleep  is  so  weakened  that  the  sufferer  is  awakened 
by  the  slightest  noise.  Slumber  is  so  light  that 
the  least  impression  received  from  without  dis-  Ordinary 
turbs  it.  Recuperation  is  interrupted  ;  its  accom-  '^^^^^ 
plishment  is  never  complete.  Such  broken  sleep 
is  injurious  in  the  highest  degree. 

By  far  the  most  common  cause  of  sleepless- 
ness is  indigestion  in  its  various  forms,  due  in 
the  majority  of  cases  to  injured  nervous  systems  ; 
a  condition  unheard  of,  unrecognized,  unappre- 
ciated— one  hundred  years  ago. 

The  nerve-racking  mental  strain,  business 
men  undergo,  or  the  everlasting  sameness  of 
certain  wearying  mental  work  and  its  terrible 
monotony,  are  most  pregnant  sources  of  insom- 
nia. These  conditions  could  be  at  least  palliated 
by  a  certain  amount  of  muscular  activity ;  and,  in 
fact,  in  such  cases,  physical  exercise  is  an  absolute  Exercise 
necessity  for  sound  sleep. 

Anything  tending  to  prolong  an  excessive 
congestion    of  the    brain   causes  this    distressing 


49 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Drop 
worry 


condition  of  wakefulness.  Extreme  physical 
strain,  nervous  exhaustion,  grief  or  anxiety, 
especially  when  they  are  experienced  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  day,  near  bedtime,  are  also  causes. 

Everything  requiring  mental  exertion  should 
be  laid  aside  before  dinner,  and  the  evening 
entirely  devoted  to  recreative  enjoyment.  Above 
all,  avoid  irritation;  cultivate  cheerfulness  and  a 
happy,  contented  mind ;  do  not  bring  business 
cares  home  to  jar  the  household.     Drop  them. 

If  you  have  anything  on  your  mind,  from  a 
sonnet  to  a  soup,  "make  a  note  of  it."  It  is  less 
nerve  expense  to  use  a  paper  tablet  than  to  use 
the  brain  tablet. 

Avoid  being  tense.  When  you  think,  use 
the  brain  alone.  You  cannot  have  repose  of 
mind  without  repose  of  muscle. 

Relax,  let  go  mentally  as  well  as  physically, 
all  will  then  be  well. 

Beware  of  the  poison  of  over  fatigue ;  it  spells 
danger.     Rest — is  its  only  antidote. 

Associate  only  with  restful  persons.  Life  is 
too  short  to  be  worried  by  those  who  fret  over 
trifles.       Encourage    repose    both    of  mind   and 


Cultivate 
repose 


50 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Beware 
uneasy 

beds 


manners.  Learn  the  lesson  of  self  and  acquire 
the  perfect  poise  of  health. 

An  uncomfortable  bed  will  induce  insomnia  in 
the  healthiest,  serenest  person.  Indeed,  it  is 
more  often  the  cause  of  sleeplessness  than  any 
other  known.  An  absolutely  even,  cool,  elastic 
surface,  springy  yet  firm,  is  the  necessary  quality 
of  a  good  bed,  and  one  of  the  greatest  aids  to 
sleep. 

One  that  is  non-absorbent  of  moisture  or 
emanations  of  the  body,  that  is  clean  and  health- 
ful, and  not  heating,  is  the  great  desideratum  ; 
and  of  such  an  one  I  shall  have  more  to  say  later. 

The  deep,  undisturbed  sleep  of  perfect  health 
needs  plenty  of  oxygen — good,  pure,  fresh  air. 
That  means  open  windows — wide  open  windows. 
And  this  requires  proper  protection  from  draft. 

Good  sleep  means  good  breathing,  good 
breathing  means  good  health,  and  good  health 
means  good  digestion,  that  great  preservative  from 
all  ills,  both  mental  and  physical. 

Above  all,  as  1  said  before,  plenty  of  oxygen, 
good,  fresh,  pure  air  is  most  essential  for  perfect 
sleep.     Sleeping  rooms   need  not  necessarily  be 


Cultivate 

good 

breathing 


51 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Fresh  air 

most 

essential 


cold,  for  the  air  may  be  warm  and  yet  fresh 
and  pure.  No  one  should  sleep  in  a  draught,  of 
course,  but  every  sleeping  room  should  have 
some  arrangement  for  withdrawing  foul  air,  as 
well  as  introducing  fresh  air  in  any  manner  that 
will  insure  perfect  circulation. 

But  given  the  best  beds,  the  most  admirably 
ventilated  sleeping  rooms,  the  most  hygienic  con- 
ditions of  every  sort,  sleeplessness  often  refuses  to 
be  conquered.  Its  victims  dread  bedtime,  for  it 
means,  perhaps,  long  staring  into  the  darkness, 
going  over  the  troubles  or  the  excitement  of  the 
day,  and  with  self-control  gone,  all  troubles  are 
magnified,  all  pleasures  seem  trite,  every  nerve 
tingles,  and  life  becomes  anything  but  "  one 
grand  sweet  song." 

What  then  is  to  be  done,  when  there  is  no 
fault  to  be  found  with  the  bed  or  its  placing,  and 
yet  the  insomnia  fiend  is  busy  ^. 

To  compel  sleep  by  opiates  or  sedatives  is  not 
to  cure  sleeplessness.  It  is  true  that  when  the 
brain  has  been  overtaxed  by  engrossing  work,  or 
the  nervous  system  shattered  by  a  severe  shock, 
or  exhausted  by  overwhelming  anxiety,  or  out- 


Disturbed 
sleep 


52 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 


worn  by  excitement;  or  the  habit  of  sleep  has 
been  broken  by  long  and  anxious  vigils  over  a 
sick  bed,  a  judiciously  selected  remedy  may  quiet 
the  nerve-throbbing  vibrations  and  help  restore 
self-control  to  the  brain,  and  so  aid  in  breaking 
the  wakeful  habit. 

Setting  aside  these  exceptional  cases,  however, 
a  sedative,  whatever  it  be,  is  most  ill  advised ;  it  is 
but  temporary,  and  leaves  the  cause  of  sleepless- 
ness entirely  untouched;  hence  the  drug  danger. 

If  the  cause  of  sleeplessness  remains  in  full 
operation,  instead  of  being  removed  by  treatment,     ^J^  ^ 
the  nervous  system  becomes  accustomed  to  the     danger  of 
sleep  drug,  and  a  larger  dose    is  ever   required.     '^'".^^ 

Drugs  diminish  the  resistance  and  impair  the 
strength.  Once  relief  is  experienced,  it  is  again 
desired,  and  yet  again,  until  finally  it  is  impossible 
to  endure  with  patience  and  fortitude  the  privation 
of  sleep  which  was  formerly  thought  unimportant. 
Thus  the  drug  habit  is  established  slavishly,  and 
I  cannot  paint  its  horrible  effects  too  vividly,  or 
cry  the  warning  sufficiently  strong. 

Much  absurd  advice  has  been  given  to  the 
man  who  cannot  sleep,  but  advice  is  not  physic. 


SZ 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Mechan- 
ical aid 


One  man  will  tell  you  to  lie  with  your  eyes 
shut,  to  imagine  sheep  jumping  over  a  hedge,  and 
count  them,  one  after  another. 

Another  will  tell  you  to  count  from  one  up 
toward  a  million,  or  until  you  go  to  sleep.  The 
story  is  told  of  how  a  missionary  troubled  with 
sleeplessness  repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer  over  and 
over,  until  Satan  sent  him  to  sleep  to  get  rid  of  it. 

Most  such  advice  is  harmless  ;  also  practically 
worthless  as  a  sleep  inducer. 

Nevertheless,  some  of  it,  I  repeat,  is  not  bad. 
The  main  thing  is  to  stupefy  or  lull  that  acute 
sense  of  thought,  particularly  thoughts  of  self, 
for  with  such  thoughts  is  wakefulness  most  in- 
timately connected.  That  this  requires  self-help 
is,  I  find,  most  generally  recognized.  For  instance : 
many  men  become  more  wide  awake  than  ever 
when  they  try  to  invent  imaginary  sheep,  or  to 
^ J  ^ P^  keep  track  of  their  counting,  as  Wordsworth  has 
most  aptly  written  : 


'A  flock  of  sheep  that  leisurely  pass  by 
One  after  one;  the  sound  of  rain  and  bees 
Murmuring;  the  fall  of  rivers,  winds  and  seas, 
Smooth  fields,  white  sheets  of  water,  and  pure  sky; 


54 


A    MASSIVE    OLD    RUSSIAN    BED    OF    OAK,    COPrER    AND    BRASS,    SUPPORTED 

BY    IRON    CHAINS,    HUNG    FROM    IRON    RODS.       ARRANGED 

TO    SMOTHER   THE    OCCUPANT 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


I've  thought  of  all  by  turns,  and  still  I  lie 
Sleepless;  and  soon  the  small  birds'  melodies 
Must  hear,  first  utter'd  from  my  orchard  trees, 
And  the  first  cuckoo's  melancholy  cry. 
Even  thus  last  night  and  two  nights  more  I  lay 
And  could  not  win  thee,   Sleep!  by  any  stealth; 
So  do  not  let  me  wear  to-night  away. 
Without  thee,  what  is  all  the  morning's  wealth?" 

The  first  thing  is  to  remember  the  fact  that 
wakefulness  usually  means  a  full  flow  of  blood 
to  the  brain. 

Whatever  then  will  serve  to  draw  the  blood     The  blood 
from  the  cerebral  region  ought  to  aid  in  inducing     ^'^^^ 
drowsiness. 

Drowsiness  is  but  a  step  to  sleep. 

Almost  every  one  has  a  favorite  method  of 
doing  this.  A  hot  foot  bath  is  doubtless  the 
most  efficacious.  Most  physicians  recommend  a 
few  minutes  of  very  light  gymnastic  exercise,  just 
before  going  to  bed,  accompanied  or  not  by  a  simpu 
quick  sponge,  or  simple  bath  in  tepid  water.  remedies 

A  warm  bath  puts  many  people  in  an  excellent 
condition  for  sleep,  though  a  very  hot  one  is 
likely  to  prove  too  stimulating.  If  a  tub  bath  is 
not  desired,  a  warm  sponge  after  the  exercise  will 

55 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 
stomach 


send  most  people  who  are  not  confirmed  victims 
of  sleeplessness  into  a  delicious  state  of  drowsiness. 

Often  it  is  advisable  for  the  stomach  to  have 
sufficient  work  for  the  blood  to  do,  and  in  that  way 
call  it  from  the  brain. 

This  does  not  mean  that  a  meal  such  as  will 
keep  the  digestive  apparatus  busy  half  the  night 
assists  is  a  cure  for  insomnia,  or  a  preventive  of  it ;  but 

that  something  light,  and  easily  digested — for 
instance  a  glass  of  hot  milk  and  a  cracker,  a  cup 
of  hot  bouillon,  or  a  bowl  of  gruel — may  often 
ward  off  the  dreaded  siege  of  sleeplessness,  and 
send  one  comfortably  to  sleep  like  a  drowsy  kit- 
ten or  a  well-fed  baby. 

It  is  important  to  study  the  art  of  lying  in  bed 
comfortably.  Avoid  strained  positions.  Don't 
sleep  with  knees  drawn  up  to  your  chin,  or  with 
your  legs  crossed ;  it  unnecessarily  fatigues  and 
cramps  the  muscles.  This  also  occurs  when  the 
fingers  are  clasped,  or  hands  are  lain  upon. 

Upon  going  to  bed,  try  to  find  a  position 
absolutely  restful,  in  which  the  mattress  supports 
every  ounce  of  your  weight,  and  your  muscles 
support  none  of  it. 

56 


Other 
ways  to 
woo 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Without 
strain 


Relax  thoroughly  at  the  very  first.  Lie 
limply  as  you  can  on  your  left  side.  The  unus- 
ual weight  on  the  heart  will  quiet  its  action,  and 
tend  to  decrease  its  activity,  and  thus  also  that  of 
the  brain.  Retain  this  position  until  you  find 
that  the  world  is  getting  hazy,  and  strange,  fool- 
ish, drowsy,  incoherent  ideas  creep  into  your 
mind;  in  other  words,  until  your  senses  begin  to 
go  to  sleep. 

If  you  can  catch  yourself  just  as  a  sleepy 
moment  comes  on,  and  then  turn  on  your  right 
side,  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  sleeping  most 
happily  through  the  entire  night. 

This  way  of  inducing  sleep  will  soon  become 
a  habit.  In  some  cases,  by  steady  practice, 
through  nightly  repetition,  it  has  been  known  to 
cure  sleeplessness  altogether. 

If  very  restless,  place  a  handkerchief  wet  in 
ice-cold  water  at  the  base  of  the  brain.  In  ex- 
treme cases,  the  sanitarium  people  use  the  ice-cap  : 
a  close  fitting,  double  rubber  cap,  filled  with 
pounded  ice. 

At  the  sanitarium,  just  before  retiring,  they 
give  the  sleepless  ones  both  a  sitz  and  a  foot  bath: 


Cooling 
the  head 


SI 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


the  sitz  96°  to  98°  Fahr.,  the  foot  no**  to  115° 
Fahr.    The  sitz  bath  can  be  omitted. 

The  salt  rub  is  another  sanitarium  command- 
ment.    First,  they  turn   the  warm  water  on  vou. 

Water  '  ■' ,  ■' 

treatments  Second,  rub  you  with  handfuls  of  wet,  not  melted, 
salt.  Third,  rinse  you.  Fourth,  dry  you.  This 
may  be  easily  managed  at  home  in  a  tub,  or 
standing  over  a  bath  sheet. 

Those  who  wake  during  the  night,  and  are 
unable  to  fall  asleep  again,  should  on  no  account 
lie  tossing  about  fretting  at  fate.  Such  a  course 
invariably  prevents  the  return  of  sleep.  It  is 
better  to  rise,  throw  back  the  covers  to  allow 
mattress   and  sheets  to  cool,  walk   two   or  three 

^'^t?,.   ,     times  around  the  room,  draw  a  few  deep  breaths, 

the  Witch  ,  .  '  . 

is  coy  filling  the  lungs  with  oxygen,  brush  the  hair,  take 

a  drink  of  water,  and  then  go  back  to  what  will 
feel  like  a  cool,  fresh  bed.  If  that  does  not 
prove  efficacious,  take  to  a  novel,  or  some  other 
light  reading,  to  temporarily  occupy  the  mind. 
Such  reading  is  at  once  a  soothing  comfort  and 
an  aid  to  sleep. 

Whenever  possible,  I  have  always  advocated 
going  to  a  fresh,  cool  bed.     Linen  sheets  are  at 

58 


EErrrr 


AN    ITALIAN    BED    OF    THE    i6tH    CENTURY,    COMBINATION    ARRANGEMENT 
OK    liEO,    WARDROBE,    AND    CLOSET,    IN    PANELLED    OAK 
AND    TAPESTRY    HANGINCS 


OAKEN  CRADLE  OF  THE 
I4TH  CENTURY 


SWINOINC.   rKADI.E  OF  THE   i6tH  CENTURY 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


once  a  luxury,  and  their  coolness,  whether  in  sum- 
mer or  winter,  a  soporific  delight,    and    a  most     ^  ';'""'  ^^'^ 

^  °  ,  induces 

marvelous  antidote  for  sleeplessness,  for  you  will     drowsi- 
find  sleep  creeping  on  as   the   heat   of  the   body     ^^^^^ 
slowly  warms  the  bed. 

The  most  important  adjunct  of  sleep,  as  I 
said  before,  is  the  possession  of  a  good  bed — one 
that  invites  repose,  and  assists  tired  nature  by  its 
relaxing  comfort  and    sleep-inducing  quality. 

The  prodigal  abuse  of  sleep  through  spend- 
thrift use  is  akin  to  life — as  we  make  or  mar  it 
for   ourselves.     It's  all  in  our  own  hands. 

We  control  our  own  destiny,  our  every  move- 
ment, it 's  all  volitional  on  our  part.  And  yet 
we  go  through  life  casting  aside  golden  oppor- 
tunities that  rarely  come  again,  or  if  favored  Life  and 
with  an  encore,  through  lack  of  self-knowledge  we 
fail  to  seize  our  own,  and  thus  ignorant  of  self 
and  life  we  go  on,  groping  in  the  dark. 

So  it  is  with  sleep  and  its  value  to  our 
physical  well-being,  its  proper  environment  and 
our  ability  to  secure  all  its  true  worth — through 
ignorance  or  a  disinclination  to  seek  out  truths, 
following    only   habit,   tradition,  or    what   others 

59 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


have  done — like  the  instinct  of  animals,  instead 
^"^J°         of  searching    for    the    why    and    wherefore,    and 
aiming  at  the  best  in  life  or  sleep. 


OLD  FASHIONED  HIGH  POST  CORDED  BOTTOM  BEDSTEAD  OF  I  7OO 


60 


THE    IMPORTANCE    OF   THE    BED. 

In  bed  we  laugh,  in  bed  we  cry, 
And; — born  in  bed,  in  bed  we  die. 
The  nearer  approach  a  bed  may  show 
Of  human  bliss  to  human  woe. 

Isaac  de  Benserade,  1612. 


E  of  the  Twentieth  Century  require 
practically  as  much  sleep  as  did  our 
ancestors  of  the  First,  our  many 
efforts  to  abrogate  the  law  of  sleep 
bringing  the  penalty  of  various  nervous  diseases, 
insomnia,  and  premature  decline  of  vital  force. 

Our  vitality — that  vital  force — our  sole  Life 
Capital,   depends   entirely  on   sleep.     The   most     a  sleep 
vital  question,  therefore,  certainly  the  most  prac-    P^"^^''<^^- 
tical  one,  is  now  to   promote   and  preserve   the 
function  of  sleep  against  disturbance. 

An  uncomfortable  bed  will  induce  insomnia 
in  the  healthiest,  serenest  person.  It  is  more  often 
the  cause  of  those  twin  torments,  sleeplessness  and 

61 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


wakefulness,  than  any  other  known.  Indeed, 
barring  indigestion,  that  impoverisher  of  sleep — the 
primal  cause  of  all  our  ills,  both  mental  and  phys- 
ical— and  which  so  insidiously  undermines  even 
the  strongest  constitution,  nothing  so  quickly  or 
so  radically  destroys  sleep,  or  prevents  that  per- 
fect relaxation  conducive  to  sleep,  as  an  uneasy 
„  ,     ,        bed. 

Bed  makes 

or  mars  An  absolutely  even,  elastic  surface,  springy  yet 

^^^'P  firm,  is  the  necessary  quality  of  a  good  bed;  one 

that  is  non-absorbent  of  moisture  or  emanations 
of  the  body,  that  is  clean  and  healthy,  and  non- 
heating  is  the  great  desideratum ;  and  yet,  how  rare 
a  luxury  is  such  a  bed. 

A  good  bed  is  a  physical  necessity.  By  my 
reference  to  the  bed,  I  mean  the  mattress,  of 
course.  That  is  the  jewel,  the  bedstead  being 
merely  the  setting ;  the  spring,  but  an  improve- 
ment upon  and  a  luxurious  addition  to  the  setting. 
The  bedstead  and  spring  are  merely  supports 
for  the  mattress.  They  may  be  richly  sumptuous 
in  elaboration  and  cost,  or  of  the  utmost  simplicity, 
without  adding  to  or  destroying  the  sleep-induc- 
ing quality  of  the  mattress. 

62 


T^'he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The  materials  from  which  the  mattress  is  con- 
structed are  more  vitally  important  than  is  gen- 
erally recognized  by  the  average  sleeper,  or  even 
by  the  highest  authorities  on  hygiene  and  sanita- 
tion. Physicians  only  cursorily  dwell  upon  this 
subject  and  have  given  It  by  far  too  little  thought. 

In  health,  we  spend  fully  one-third  of  our 
lives  in  bed — far  too  many  invalids  all  their  weary 
hours — yet  we  passively  continue  the  use  of  what-     One-tUrd 

.    ,     1     ,  .  ...  .     ,        .  ,  our  lives 

ever  material   habit,  tradition  or  inheritance  has 


handed  down  to  us  for  mattress  filling,  utterly 
regardless  of  its  sanitary  or  unsanitary  qualities. 

Considering  the  importance  of  the  mattress, 
and  the  progress  of  the  century  in  other  direc- 
tions, it  is  both  astonishing  and  unaccountable 
that  this  subject  should  have  received  so  little 
attention,  especially  in  an  age  that  has  made  such 
strides  in  the  study  of  personal  hygiene,  and  the 
proven  origin  of  germ  infections. 

How  many  forms  of  the  commoner  infec- 
tious diseases,  and  complicated  skin  affections, 
which  are  the  "  bete  noir "  of  medical  practice 
everywhere,  have  their  origin  and  source  in  the 
saturated,  unsunned    and   unsanitary    mattresses 

63 


in  bed 


Hidden 
dangers 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


on  which  we  spend  so  much  of  our  time,  on  which 
So  life  we  are  born  and  on  which  we  die, — is  a  pathologi- 

be^ins  and  ,  ,  ,  .... 

ends  ^-^^    conundrum    that    no   statistician    has  as    yet 

attem.pted  to  solve. 

Of  all  materials  employed  for  mattresses, 
except  among  the  very  poor,  horse  hair  has  been 
the  most  commonly  used  during  the  past  century. 
Prior  to  hair,  feathers  were  used  for  many  years, 
and  were  considered  the  best ;  but  they  are  really, 
in  every  sense,  the  poorest. 

Feathers  are  soft  and  warm — entirely  too  soft 
and  warm — and  are  without  any  redeeming  feature. 
The  feather  beds  of  our   great  grandmothers — 
than  which  there  is  nothing  more  abominably  un- 
Th  hygienic,  saturated  with  the  emanations  of  half  a 

of  our  dozen  generations,  perfect  charnel  houses  of  filth — 

fore-  were  handed  down  for  years,  as  priceless  luxuries. 

Feather  beds,  however,  during  the  past  century 
became  gradually  recognized  as  undesirable.  The 
hair  mattress  took  their  place  as  the  best  obtaina- 
ble, and  gradually  superseded  feathers  on  account 
of  its  greater  desirability  and  supposed  cleanliness. 
Genuine  horse  hair,  derived  from  the  manes 
and  tails  of  horses,  principally  in  South  America, 

64 


THE    GRAND    CARVED    BED    AND    EMBROIDERED    CANOrV    BUILT    KOR 
FRANCIS    I.    ABOUT    1530 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Unclean 

atiimal 

Jibres 


when  properly  prepared  for  use,  makes  a  fairly 
good  bed  at  first ;  but  hair,  originally  unclean  and 
practically  uncleanable,  is  an  animal  fibre  and 
filled  with  natural  animal  secretions  that  can  never 
be  expelled.  It  soon  becomes  foul  and  filthy, 
infested  by  vermin,  absorbent  of  germs  and  ema- 
tions  of  the  body,  a  breeder  of  disease,  and  a  con- 
stant menace  to  health. 

At  the  present  time  this  is  especially  the  case, 
owing  to  the  keen  competition  of  manufacturers, 
who  have  forced  into  use  all  the  filthy  and  ill- 
smelling  scrapings  of  the  tan  yards,  the  refuse  of 
the  abbatoir,  and  additions  of  former  discards, 
together  with  various  mixtures  of  other  waste,  for 
the  purpose  of  reducing  cost,  the  great  desidera- 
tum ;  so  that  to-day  it  is  not  how  good  a  hair 
mattress  can  be  made,  but — how  cheap. 

This  daily  cheapening  is  making  of  the  hair 
mattress  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  makeshift. 
Even  when  made  from  the  best  quality  of  hair — 
if  you  can  find  a  best — it  may  prove  delightfully 
soft  and  springy  at  first,  but  soon  loses  its  elas- 
ticity, gathers  dirt  and  dust,  the  natural  oil  of  the 
hair  tenaciously  holding  all  impurities. 

65 


Horse 
hair 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Other 
Jilling 


A  hair  mattress  requires  frequent  renovation, 
to  keep  it  in  even  a  fairly  clean  and  comfortable 
state,  and  is  a  constant  source  of  expense  and 
annoyance  ;  and,  on  the  whole,  unsatisfactory,  un- 
hygienic and  unhealthy. 

All  other  fillings,  consisting  of  the  various 
cheap  substitutes  for  hair,  ranging  all  the  way 
from  the  straw  of  the  country,  excelsior  of  the 
city,  corn  husks,  hay,  etc.,  to  the  more  pretentious 
vegetable  fibres,  like  sea  grass,  pine  bark,  moss, 
etc., — are  most  of  them,  comparatively,  if  not 
entirely  wholesome. 

Many  of  these  pseudo  articles,  however,  which 
often  masquerade  under  high-sounding  titles  to 
conceal  their  humble  origin,  or  their  identity, 
especially  when  mixed,  may  or  may  not  be  pure  ; 
but  this  very  admixture  of  other  substances  makes 
me  doubt  their  being  sanitarily  innocent  of  im- 
purities. At  best,  they  are  simply  evolutions — 
worthless  pretences,  and  are  not  suggestive  of 
slumber,  repose,  solace  or  thrift. 

Of  all  these  materials,  feathers,  the  most  heat- 
ing of  all  fillings,  as  I  said  before,  stood  out  pre- 
eminently at  one   time   as    the    best    obtainable. 


Pretences 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Users  of  horse  hair  were  possessed  of  the  same 

pecuHar  fallacy  ;  but  feathers,  once  considered  the 

best,  are  in  every  sense  not  merely  the  poorest, 

but  the  worst.     Horse  hair  is  far  cooler,  but  with-     Artificial 

out  any  other  redeeming  feature   than  its  original 

"  spring,"  and  that  favoring  feature  is  really  due 

to  artificial  curl,  produced  mechanically. 

That  the  hair  on  the  head  of  a  woman  is 
certainly  far  purer,  sweeter,  cleaner  than  the  hair 
from  the  mane  or  tail  of  a  horse,  you  will  readily 
grant ;  and  yet,  can  you  fancy  sleeping  on  a  mat- 
tress made  of  human  hair — even  gathered  only 
from  the  heads  of  people  you  know — naturally 
curly — therefore  having  a  natural,  not  a  mechanical 
"spring"?  Would  not  a  shudder  of  repulsion 
creep  over  and  possess  you  with  the  nauseating  Beds  of 
thoughts  of  its  horrid  incongruity?  human 

Why,  if  human  hair  was  used  for  the  making  ''''' 
of  mattresses,  how  extremely  careful  we  would  be 
in  selecting  it! — demanding  to  know  whence  the 
hair  was  gathered — how — when — why — whose  ? 
And  in  spite  of  the  dealers'  declaration  that  they 
contained  naught  but  "Virgin  tresses,  fragrant  as 
the  breath  of  spring,"  a  guarantee  would  be  re- 


67 


l^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


quired,  signed  by  the  Board  of  Health,  as  to  its 
sanitary  condition.  Nothing  could  dispel  visions 
of  untold  disease,  the  morgue  and  hospital ;  and 
the  horrors  of  contagion  from  bacilli  would  ever 
be  present  in  one's  dreams. 

Yet  a  horse-hair  mattress  is  in  reality  far  more 
unsanitary  and  unclean,  and  dangerous  to  health 
in  every  possible  way,  than  a  mattress  of  human 
hair.  The  best  hair,  coming  from  tropical 
countries,  where  malignant  diseases  abound,  can 
never  be  thoroughly  cleansed,  and  many  cases  of 
fatal  contagion  occur,  that  do  not  become  public, 
owing  to  their  character,  like  the  following: 


Germ 

infection 


GERMS  IN  IMPORTED  HAIR. 

SING    SING   CONVICT    ATTACKED    WITH    A    RARE    TROUBLE 
PECULIAR  TO   ANIMALS. 

Dr.  R.  T.  Irvine,  physician  at  the  Sing  Sing  prison,  has  a  rare 
case  under  treatment  in  the  prison  hospital.  It  is  that  of  maligna, 
and  the  patient  is  John  Culleton,  aged  28,  of  Flatbush,  L.  I. 

The  attack  is  a  common  one  in  South  America  among  cattle. 
Culleton  worked  in  the  curled  hair  industry  in  the  prison.  The  hair 
used  comes  from  South  America.  About  two  weeks  ago  he  had  a 
pimple  on  his  neck  and  rubbed  it.  At  the  time  he  must  have  had 
some  of  the  germs  under  his  nail,  gathered  while  handling  the  hair. 

The  man  is  now  paralyzed  on  his  entire  left  side.  The  attack  is 
generally  fatal,  but  the  doctor  thinks  his  patient  will  pull  through. — 
New  York  World,  Dec.  18,  i8g6. 

68 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


"Genuine  curled  hair,  derived  from  the  tails  of  neat  cattle  and 
the  tails  and  manes  of  horses,  when  thoroughly  cleansed  and  made 
aseptic,  malces  good  mattresses  and  pillows  that  are  immeasurably 
superior  to  feathers." 

Can  you  picture  the  "  neat  cattle  "  ?      Is  not 
the  absurdity  of  the  remark  delicious  ? 

69 


Disease 
breeders 


Hair  makes  a  mattress  that  is  dangerous  when 
new,  and  rapidly  becomes  more  so  as  it  absorbs 
dirt  and  moisture  with  time  and  use  ;  and  yet, 
there  are  many  who  have  become  so  inured, 
through  custom,  to  consider  them  the  "  best," 
that  they  prove  the  old  proverb,  "  Where  ignor- 
ance is  bliss,"  etc.,  since  visions  of  the  horse 
morgue  or  hospital,  far  more  repulsive,  and  quite 
as  dangerous,  never  seem  to  disturb  their  heavy 
slumbers. 

They  sleep  well,  who  know  not  that  they 
sleep  ill, — and  yet,  is  it  wise  to  go  through  life 
without  knowing?  Really,  the  thoughtlessness — 
yes,  even  the  ignorance  of  many  physicians  on 
this  subject  is  astonishing.  For  instance:  a 
prominent  physician,  a  recognized  authority  on 
hygiene,  at  that — in  a  recent  magazine  article — 
makes  the  following  statement: 


Ignora  nee 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Personal 
hygiene 


In  these  days  of  physical  culture  and  personal 
hygiene,  and  that  tending  to  daily  betterment  of 
manhood  and  womanhood — which  is  upbuilding 
the  coming  generation  to  a  higher  and  greater 
physical  standard — sleep,  and  the  care  of  the  body, 
while  asleep,  should  receive  the  proper  attention 
due  its  pregnancy. 

While  we  sleep,  and  the  body  is  unprotected, 
except  by  the  sentinels  of  nature,  the  skin  is  by 
no  means  inactive.  The  pores  are  all  wide 
awake,  and  at  this  time  ripe  for  the  absorp- 
tion of  germs.  Surely,  therefore,  a  germ-proof 
mattress  is  an  absolute  necessity.  This  first  of 
all  requires  a  non-absorbent  filling  of  positive 
purity  and  one  that  will  remain  uncontaminated 
under  all  conditions. 

Cotton  is  probably  the  purest  filling  obtain- 
able for  mattress  use.  It  is  a  vegetable  fibre,  and 
has  none  of  the  objectionable  features  of  animal 
fibre,  like  hair  or  feathers.  It  is  also  the  coolest 
known  filling.  Contrary  to  general  opinion, 
it  is  non-heating,  a  non-conductor  as  well,  most 
hygienic  and  sanitary,  and  peculiarly  cool  in 
summer. 


The  skin 
and  pores 


Purity  of 
cotton 


70 


^3Ur 


A    MEDIEVAL    BED    OF    THE    I2TH    CENTURY.       FROM    AN    EXCEEDINCl.Y    RARE 

ILLUMINATED    MANUSCRIPT 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Cotton  is  by  no  means  a  new  mattress  mater- 
ial, for  it  was  used  for  stuffing  cushions  in  Egypt 
centuries  ago. 

It  was  then  known  as  Kurpas,  the  "  vegetable      vegetable 
lamb "    or    "  plant  wool."     We  know  it  to-day     fibre 
botanically  as  Gossypium  Herbaceum. 

Ordinary,  unprepared,  picked  up,  raw  cotton, 
makes  an  exceedingly  agreeable  mattress,  at  first; 
but  it  has  the  serious  objection  of  soon  becoming 
lumpy  and  uncomfortable.  That  objection,  how- 
ever, can  be  overcome  by  proper  preparation  and 
manipulation  of  the  cotton. 

For  many  years  the  subject  of  bedding  and  its 
relation  to  sleep  has  been  of  deep  interest  to  me. 
I  have  slept  on  all  kinds  of  mattresses,  on  all 
sorts  of  beds,  in  all  sorts  of  places,  and  found 
nothing  to  equal  the  cotton  mattresses,  such  as  I 
have  used  for  the  past  twenty  years  or  more. 

These  were  made  from  an  especially  prepared 
species  of  cotton,  grown  for  the  purpose ;  of  a 
fibre    and  texture  that    is    singularly  adapted  to         ^°  ^  '^ 

o  /  r  germ 

certain   chemical  action  and   sterilization,    which    proof 
renders    it    absolutely    germ    proof — and    at   the 
same  time  water  proof.      From  this  raw  material 

71 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


was  felted  and  interlaced  a  sheeted  fabric  material, 
delightfully  soft  and  downy,  no  more  like  raw 
cotton  than  finished  cloth  is  like  natural  wool. 

The  mattresses  were   made   by   laying   these 

sheets  one  over  the  other,  into  a  huge  even  pile, 

and  then  sewing  the  covering  over  them,  instead 

of   their   being   "  stuffed "   as   mattresses  usually 

Built,  not     ^gj.g_     That  way  of  making  is  in  itself  of  inesti- 

stuffid  .  .  ° 

mable  value  in  securing  an  evenly  soft,  elastic 
mattress.  Mine  I  have  found  practically  peerless 
in  comfort,  free  from  even  a  single  objectionable 
feature,  and  immeasurably  superior  to  hair. 

Mattresses  so  made,  and  with  filling  so  treat- 
ed, are  called  Patent  Elastic  Felt,  by  the  makers, 
Ostermoor  &  Company,  who  have  made  them 
just  in  that  manner,  from  just  that  material,  for 
the  past  fifty  years.  I  can  honestly  and  sincerely 
An  ideal  recommend  them  from  practical  knowledge  and 
use  to  be  the  best  obtainable ;  and  I  am  glad  to  see 
how  rapidly  they  are  superseding  mattresses  made 
from  filthy,  unhealthy,  dangerous  hair,  owing  to 
the  educational  knowledge  given  the  public  as 
to  their  merits — by  extensive  advertising.  May 
such  good  work  long  continue. 


bed 


72 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


I  do  notj  as  a  rule,  believe  in  giving  this  sort 
of  credit  in   print.     I   am  not  commercial,  have      '^*'^'^^^ 
neither  the  time  nor  inclination  to  personally  ad- 
vertise such  products,  however  good. 

I  saw  the  mattresses  being  made  in  the  fac- 
tory twenty  odd  years  ago.  I  thought  them 
the  work  of  a  master  and  the  material  ideal, 
and  have  certainly  so  proven  them.  I  went 
through  the  factory  again  this  year,  and  find  the 
plant  a  most  wonderful  establishment.  Their 
manner  of  manufacture  is  a  marvel  and  a  revela- 
tion of  what  can  be  done,  and  what  should  be 
done  by  all  makers  of  such  important  articles  to 
guarantee  absolute  purity. 

When  I  find  in  this  age  of  shams,  makeshifts,     in  this 
and  "just  as  good"  imitating  counterfeits  and  cost-     T"^ 

,  ^  ,  °  shams 

reducing  substitutes,  an  article  so  good  and  of  so 
high  a  standard,  that  leaves  no  room  for  improve- 
ment, honestly  made  and  honestly  sold,  I  cannot 
refrain  from  publicly  expressing  both  my  admira- 
tion and  sincere  appreciation. 

All  hail  the  Ostermoor  mattress,  that  impor- 
tant factor  in  securing  good,  healthful,  refreshing 
sleep  —  for  it   certainly  is  unequaled    the   world 

73 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Blessing 

to 

mankind 


over.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  its  praise. 
It  is  a  revelation  of  luxury — much  more  cushiony 
and  inviting  in  elasticity  than  hair.  It  is  free 
from  any  and  all  the  objections  of  feathers, 
hair  or  any  other  material  thus  far  brought 
into  use,  and,  considering  its  wonderful  durability, 
the  most  economical  mattress  obtainable. 

Among  the  well-to-do  in  most  modern  com- 
munities feathers,  at  one  time  used  entirely 
for  beds,  are  now  limited  chiefly  to  pillows, 
although  hair  is  also  used  for  pillows  to  some 
extent.  The  favored  few  can  boast  of  "  downy 
pillows,"  steam  dressed,  but  the  masses  rest  their 
weary  heads  on  fluffy  and  more  or  less  odorifer- 
ous feather  pillows.  Social  rank  is  measured  by 
the  size  of  these  headrests.  Ambitious  house- 
wives add  bolsters,  which  indicate  a  further  degree 
of  social  standing  and  discomfort. 

To  sleep  in  a  guest  bed  in  the  city,  or  the 
"  spare  bed  "  of  the  well-to-do  country  housewife, 
one  must  first  make  a  bold  advance  on  the  for- 
midable pile  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  remove  some 
artistically  useless  make-believes  called  "  shams," 
and  then  either  toss  the  pillows  overboard  or  sit 


Use  and 
abuse  of 
pillows 


74 


KOVAL    ENGLISH    HIGH    POST   BED.    DOME   TOP.    OE    MAHOGANY 
MARQUETRY    DESIGNED   BY    CHIPPENDALE 


^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


on  end,  propped  up  by  pillows  and  bolster,  like 
an  asthmatic  or  an  invalid. 

High  pillows  of  any  material  should  never  be 
tolerated.  The  use  of  them  is  purely  habit  and 
has  no  sanction  in  either  anatomy,  physiology  or 
hygiene.  Any  pillow  that  raises  the  head  out  of 
line  with  the  body  is  anatomically  unnatural  and 
physically   injurious,   for  height    affects   and   ob-     ^^^^^ 

r         \  1  •  1-1  r  ...  disturbers 

structs  perfect  breathmg,  and  is  therefore  mjurious 
to  health,  and  disturbs  perfect  sleep.  The  thick- 
ness should  never  exceed  one  and  a  half  or  two 
inches,  and  some  authorities  urge  that  it  is  far 
better  to  entirely  dispense  with  pillows. 

Cotton  pillows  are  much  cooler  and  more 
hygienic  than  either  feathers  or  hair,  and  are  being 
used  to  some  extent.  They  are,  however,  but 
makeshifts  suitable  to  warm  climates  and  summer 
weather,  and  as  made  from  ordinary  or  unprepared 
cotton  are  neither  as  aseptic  nor  as  elastic  as  those 
made  from  other  materials,  nor  do  they  retain 
their  elasticity  for  any  considerable  length  of  time. 
When  cotton  is  prepared  by  the  Ostermoor  pro- 
cess, and  thoroughly  freed  from  its  natural  oil, 
made    aseptic,    water  proof,    germ  proof,    vermin 


75 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


and  dust  proof,  by  their  treatment,  and  sterilized 
through  heat,  and  that  pecuHar  chemic  and 
mechanic  change  which  renders  it  permanently 
elastic,  it  becomes  an  ideally  wholesome  material, 
and  perfection  itself  for  pillows  as  well  as  mat- 
tresses, ever  conducive  to  slumber  and  repose. 


Whole- 
some 


THE  SUPPOSED  BED  OF  KING  SOLOMON,  FOUND  IN  MANUSCRIPT 
IN   THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM 


76 


The  beds 


ancients 


SLEEPING   PLACES    AND  THEIR 
HISTORY. 

ROM  the  days  of  Menes,  7,000  years 
ago,  it's  a  far  cry  indeed  to  the  present 
day,  the  time  covered  by  the  history 
of  the  bed  and  its  evolutions. 
The  subject  may  be  divided  into  three  great 
periods  :  Ancient,  Mediaeval  and  Modern  ;  and 
these  again  are  subdivided  into  Egyptian,  Assy-  of  th 
rian,  Greek,  Roman,  Byzantine,  Gothic  (both 
early  and  late),  and  Renaissance — a  resume  that 
brings  us  well  within  the  Eighteenth  Century. 

Although  few  examples  are  in  existence,  the 
beds  of  the  ancients  are  not  unknown  to  us. 
Antiquity  began  with  leaves,  then  the  skins  of 
beasts  to  seek  creature  comfort,  gradually  increas- 
ing among  the  Egyptians  to  luxury  on  such  a 
magnificently  colossal  scale  that  reached  its  very 
zenith  at  the  time  of  the  fall  of  Rome,  and  the 
like  of  which  the  world  has  never  since  seen 
equaled  during  all  the  many  intervening  centuries. 

77 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Eating  and  sleeping  in  those  days   were    con- 
sidered    the    Alpha   and    Omega    of  life.     The 
table,  then,  and  the  couch  as  well,  were  incom- 
The  parable  luxuries.     An  estimate  of  the  prodigality 

Alpha  and  of  the  timcs  Can  readily  be  formed  by  the  single 
Omega  of  j^stance  of  Gabius  Apicius,  who  after  spending 
over  $4,000,000  on  the  elegancies  of  his  table 
alone  (tradition  names  the  amount),  hanged  him- 
self rather  than  "  face  starvation  on  such  a  miser- 
able pittance,"  as  he  called  the  $400,000  remain- 
ing of  his  large  fortune. 

The  earliest  mention  of  beds  is  probably  to 

.  be  found  in  the  Book  of  Esther.     The   houses 

therein  described  had  floors  of  concrete,  tiles  or 

Earliest       yarious   colored    marble.     They  were    extremely 

mention 

of  beds  clean.  The  shoes  or  sandals  used  without  were 
taken  off  and  the  feet  washed  before  entering  the 
house.  The  floors  were  also  partially  covered 
with  skins,  rugs,  and  small  movable  carpets. 

The  beds  consisted  of  coarse,  stuflFed  pillows, 
or  cushions,  thrown  or  piled  in  a  corner  of  the 
room,  or  else  placed  around  two  or  three  sides  of 
a  room,  used  for  seats  by  day,  and  beds  by  night. 

Later  on,  a  place  was  built  at  one  end  of  the 

78 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 
Egyptians 


room,  more  elevated  than  a  seat,  on  which  a 
stuffed  cushion  was  placed,  and  this  was  the  usual 
mode  of  sleeping. 

In  course  of  time  these  elevations  were  made 
movable  by  the  Egyptians.  They  were  exquis- 
itely fashioned  from  wood,  ivory,  bronze,  copper, 
gold,  and  silver. 

Thus  the  origin  of  the  early  Egyptian  bed- 
steads, which  during  the  Roman  Empire  became 
articles  of  such  extraordinary  beauty,  costly  and 
magnificent,  often  carved  and  inlaid  with  mother- 
of-pearl  and  semi-precious  stones. 

All  beds  at  this  time,  strange  to  say,  of  which 
any  record  is  found,  appear  to  have  been  narrow, 
and  of  single  width  only, — really  half  couch  and 
half  bed. 

Food  and  sleep  with  the  Romans  were  closely 
allied.  Their  curious  dining  bed,  the  triclini- 
um, or  three  in  one,  consisted  of  three  richly 
cushioned  and  highly  ornamented  couches  placed 
around  three,  sides  of  a  table  ;  the  other  side  being 
left  open,  permitting  the  slaves  easy  access  to  the 
table  for  the  serving  of  viands. 

After  the  consequent  confusion  and  the  utter 


Roman 
dining  bed 


79 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


destruction  resulting  from  the  fall  of  the  second 
Roman  Empire,  everything  was  chaotic,  living 
again  became  most  primitive,  and  furnishings  were 
of  the    simplest  description,  comprising  but  the 

Fall  of  -        ^       .   .  r  >  r  5 

Rome  barest  of  necessities.     A  bench,  a  chest,  and  a  few 

skins  were  all  the  household  goods  of  the  masses. 
The  chest  held  the  stores  of  coarse  linen,  and  was 
used  as  a  table — as  occasion  demanded — and  as  a 
couch  or  bed,  with  the  addition  of  skins. 

During  the  Middle  Ages,  as  general  civiliza- 
tion became  slowly  re-established,  and  human  life 
and  property  more  secure,  household  comforts 
became  more  common.  Gradually  the  couch 
chest  grew  into  the  "beddstock,"  at  first  only  a 
movable  sleeping  structure,  crude  in  style. 
Ornamentation  gradually  followed,  until  finally 
the  bedstead  was  built  into  the  room,  similar  to 

The  the  modern    steamship    berth.       Then    a    whole 

section  of  the  room  was  set  apart  and  built  in  for 
sleeping  purposes — really  a  room  within  a  room, 
and  here  the  first  known  double  bed  appeared, 
simple  curtains  were  added  as  a  screen,  and  early 
in  the  Twelfth  Century  the  high  post  canopy  top 
bedstead,  separate,  movable,    hung     with   hand- 

80 


Middle 
Ages 


ANCIENT    IMPERIAL   JAPANESE   BED.      A    RARE   EXAMPLE    OF    TEAK    CARVING 
BELONGING   TO    THE   ROYAL    FAMILY 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


some  embroidered  curtains,   a  thing    of  beauty, 
imposing,  and  important,  first  came  into  use. 

The  bed  was  the  first  real  luxury  of  the  home 
to  be  evolved  from  a  most  meager  showing  to  the     Bed  first 
magnificent  examples  of  classic  architecture  and     luxury 
ornament,  that  lives  as  "tout-ensemble"  or  whole, 
even  to  the  present  day. 

Beds  became  greatly  cherished  by  the  nobility 
on  account  of  their  artistic  value  and  beauty. 
The  social  position  or  aspirations  of  a  particular 
family  often  became  centered  upon  and  recognized 
in  accordance  with  the  stateliness  of  their  bed- 
stead, which  dominated  all  the  other  household 
furniture  in  character,  cost  and  importance. 

Many  old   inventories   and   wills   in  existence 
show  that  particular  value  and  consequence  were     Beds  in 
attached  to  even  the  most  primitive  contrivances,     entail 
and  in  most  of  these  cases  on  record  the  bedstead 
is  especially  bestowed  in  entail. 

At  this  early  period,  of  course,  the  greatest 
luxury  was  only  possible  to  the  people  of  the 
highest  rank.  Each  home  of  any  pretension  of 
the  lower  classes  contained  an  enormous  bedstead, 
upon  which  the  man,  his  wife,  his  children,  his 

8i 


"The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Many 
sharing 
one  bed 


guests,   and    even    the    stranger    who    asked    for 
hospitality  could  easily  sleep. 

This  habit  of  sharing  a  bed  with  the  guests 
was  by  no  means  confined  to  the  lower  classes. 
Royalty  sanctioned  the  custom,  and  the  guest 
welcomed  at  castle  or  chateau  could  receive  no 
greater  honor  than  to  occupy  the  same  bed  with 
the  lord  and  his  lady. 

In  feudal  times  nearly  every  manor  house  and 
castle  had  three  kinds  of  beds.  They  were  really 
three  in  one,  as  they  were  all  but  component  parts 
of  one  complete  whole,  called  "Trinity" — 

First — The  bed  of  state,  used  by  the  lord, 
his  lady,  and  immediate  family. 

Second — A  lower  affair  upon  which  their 
attendants  slept. 

Third — Still  a  lower  bed,  drawing  from  under- 
neath the  second,  just  like  our  more  recent 
trundle  bed,  used  exclusively  for  the  servants. 

It  seems  odd  to  picture  such  a  bed  in  these 
days,  and  yet  there  are  a  few  examples  still  in 
existence,  both  in  France  and  England. 

These  old  castles  were  usually  of  great  size, 
and  contained  enormous  rooms ;  the  manner  of 

82 


Trinity 


The  IVitchcry  of  Sleep 


living  was  on  a  wider  scale,  and  furnishings  were 
consequently  huge  in  size,  though  exceedingly- 
small  in  number  and  variety. 

The   wealthy  nobles   at  this    time    possessed 
several  mansions,  and  country  houses  as  well,  yet 
notwithstanding  the  high  appreciation  of  the  artis-     j,i^yedii>ie 
tic,  but  very  little  attention  v/as  paid  to  cleanli-     undean- 
ness  ;   and,  incredible  as  this  may  seem,  it  is  an     '''""•^ 
authentic  fact,  that  when  the  filth  and  vermin  be- 
came unendurable  in   one  house,  they  left  it  to 
"sweeten"  as  they  said,  and  went  to  another  of 
their  estates  to  live  ! 

The  earliest  period  of  modern  art  was  un- 
doubtedly laid  in  Italy,  later  France,  and  then 
England  more  slowly  followed.  The  beautiful 
Italian  Renaissance  was  introduced  into  France 
by  Francis  I.  welcoming  Italian  artists  to  his  courts  The 
during  the  first  half  of    the   Sixteenth  Century,     '''^"^'/"^ 

D  _  _•'  _       Kenats- 

when  Leonardo  da  Vinci  and    Benvenuto  Cellini     sance 
introduced  the  magnificent  examples  of  beds,  with 
their  exquisitely  artistic  carvings,  that  still  remain 
the  standard  of  classic  art  in   England  and  other 
countries  of  Europe. 

Classic  art  in  England  accompanied  the  classic 

83 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Gothic 


literature  of  the  period,  but  being  far  distant  from 
the  true  fountain  head  of  art,  it  was  long  before 
the  native  Gothic  style  gave  place  to  the  classic 
Renaissance.  In  fact,  it  was  over  a  century  after 
the  foundation  of  St,  Peter's  at  Rome,  that  Henry 
VIII.,  brought  over  two  foreign  artists,  notably 
John  of  Padua  and  Havenius  of  Cleves,  to  intro- 
duce what  was  then  called  the  "  new  style " 
more  fully  in  England. 

After  the  fourteenth,  and  prior  to  the  six- 
teenth century,  all  bedsteads  supported  the  mat- 
tress by  cords  or  straps  attached  to  the  frame- 
work ;  before   that,  the  bed  had  a  solid  bottom. 

During  the  last  half  of  the  fifteenth,  and  early 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  slats  were  first  used,  and 
the  high  post  canopy  top  bedstead  began  to  be 
made  so  high  that  it  was  provided  with  a  pair  of 
steps  to  enable  the  occupants  to  get  in  or  out. 
They  were  so  made,  with  many  variations,  until 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
these,  together  with  the  severe  yet  graceful  lines 
of  the  Empire,  merging  into  those  of  Chippen- 
dale and  Sheraton,  set  the  stamp  upon  the  early 
Colonial  "four-posters"  of  America. 

84 


High  post 

canopy 

top. 


l^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


In  England,  at  this  time,  as  well  as  in  Amer- 
ica, the  "high  post"  bedstead  was  extensively 
used,  although  the  "  low  post "  bed,  without 
canopy  top,  was  quite  in  evidence.  Low  post 

The  "field  beds"  were   also    popular,   being     nlidheds 
lighter  and  cheaper  than  the  regular  four-posters, 
with  heavy  carved  cornice  and  solid  wood  testers 
or  roof. 

Light  curved  iron  bars  or  rods,  joining  the 
top  of  the  posts  of  the  field  beds,  formed  a 
dome  or  canopy  framework  for  drapery,  making 
an  effect  like  tents  on  a  battle  field,  whence  the 
name  no  doubt  was  taken. 

Heppelwaite,  that  great  authority  on  draper- 
ies, laid  down  a  most  severe  law  as  to  how  beds 
must  be  draped  or  curtained. 

The  tops  of  all  beds  varied  greatly  in  shape, 
and  were  designated  as  "  dome  tops,"  "wagon 
tops,"  "Venetian,"   "curved,"   etc,  Vaned 

•^  •      •  1  ■>■>         ^  •  skates. 

Other  varieties,  as  "close  beds" — beds  with 
doors  that  close —  setting  out  in  the  room,  dif- 
fering from  the  "  press  beds,"  that  are  more  like 
a  closet,  and  the  "cupboard  bed,"  that  had 
drawers  underneath,  the  bed  being  up  in  the  air, 

85 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


behind  sliding  or  hinged  doors,  and  "couch 
beds,"  corresponding  to  those  in  use  to-day, 
being  similar  to  a  chest  with  sunken  top,  holdino; 

Oliver  °  .  .  .  r>  & 

Goldsmith     mattress  or  cushion,  often  a  drawer  or  two  under- 
neath, making  a  bed  at  night,  a  seat  by  day. 

'Twas  doubtless  of  such  Oliver  Goldsmith 
wrote : 

"The  chest,  contriv'd  a  double  debt  to  pay — 
A  bed  by  night,  a  chest  of  drawers  by  day." 

The  Queen  of  Egypt's  bed-chamber  con- 
tained all  that  art  or  luxury  could  suggest.  There 
were  pictures  in  it  "  so  real  that  one  could  almost 
catch  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers,"  and  "birds 
might  have  pecked  at  the  fruits  painted  upon  the 
walls."  It  was  beautiful  in  the  extreme.  The 
floors  and  walls  were  of  many  colored  marbles, 
gold,  ivory,  and  bronze,  ornamented  with  gems. 

The  bed,  built  of  ivory  and  gold,  was  of  im- 
mense size,  covered  with  the  finest  silken  draper- 
Cleopatra.  ics,  quaintly  embroidered  and  laced  with  gold 
cord.  On  the  footboard  of  the  bed  stood  a  gold 
cupid,  or  god  of  love,  thirty-six  inches  high, 
aiming  a  golden  arrow  from  his  bow  at  Cleopatra 
as  she  slept  therein. 

86 


THE    "trinity"    bed    OF    STATE,      CONSISTING    OF    "THREE    IN    ONE,"    IN 

WHICH    THE    ENTIRE    FAMILY,    THE    ATTENDANTS,    AND    HIGHER 

SERVANTS    SLEPT    DURING    FEUDAL    TIMES 


T'he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 

out-door 
bedroom. 


The  air  was  heavy  and  sweet  with  languorous 
perfumes,  notwithstanding  through  the  open  win- 
dows came  the  salt  scent  of  the  distant  Medi- 
terranean. Everywhere  in  the  great  room  were 
incomparable  carpets  and  couches  piled  high  with 
wonderful  silken  draperies. 

Just  outside,  piazza-like — in  the  true  sense  of 
the  word — a  sort  of  out-door  bedroom  was  arrang- 
ed, fully  as  luxurious  in  style,  wherein  another 
bed,  of  bronze,  marble,  and  gold,  was  built  and 
overhung  with  canopies.  Here  the  "Serpent  of 
old  Nile"  slept  during  hot  nights,  attended  by 
many  slaves,  under  covers  of  the  "  filmy  gleam- 
ing silk  of  Cos,"  sheltered  by  a  netted  tent  of 
closely  woven  linen  gauze. 

These  are  facts,  well  authenticated  by  data 
and  many  known  examples.  We  think  and  talk 
of  Cleopatra  and  the  people  of  other  times  and 
climes  as  if  they  were  the  creations  of  the  poet 
and  romancer,  and  had  never  really  existed,  be- 
cause we  simply  read  history,  and  do  not  study 
it,  duly  digesting  facts. 

We  all  know  of  the  almost  incredible  excesses 
and   wanton   living   of  the   times    preceding    the 


Wanton 
living. 


iy 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Re-estab' 
lishment. 


awful  horror  of  the  fall  of  Rome,  reducing 
everything  to  ruin,  and  almost  ringing  the  death 
knell  of  civilization. 

The  next  thousand  years  show  us  the  re- 
establishment  of  life  on  a  far  different  basis — at 
first  so  primitive  that  even  the  barest  of  necessi- 
ties were  almost  priceless  luxuries.  But  slowly, 
steadily,  we  note  increasing  creature  comforts, 
until  finally  the  luxuries  of  the  day  become  but 
the  necessities  of  the  morrow. 

As  it  was  then,  so  it  is  with  us  of  to-day ; 
lost  arts  have  been  regained,  new  discoveries 
made,  until  it  almost  seems  as  if  we  were  rapidly 
approaching  the  splendor  of  the  ancients,  and  far 
surpassing  them  in  our  later  inventions,  particu- 
larly those  wonderful  ones  of  the  twentieth 
century,  which,  with  its  utilization  of  the  electric 
spark  alone  achieved  more  for  art,  science  and 
civilization  than  all  the  other  intervening  years 
put  together. 

There  is  hardly  one  thing  in  a  modern,  well- 
appointed  bedroom  that  was  not  to  be  found  in 
the  apartments  of  Cleopatra,  Queen  of  Egypt, 
over  two  thousand  years  ago. 


Ancient 
and 

Modern. 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The   Btitish  Museum,  the    Metropolitan   of 
New  York,  and  the  various  European  museums, 
contain  many  wonderful  examples  of  early  Egyp- 
tian art:   costly  pictures,  bronzes,  chairs,  tables.     Museum 
beds,  all  kinds  of  household  furniture,  also  cook-     exhibits. 
ing  utensils, — even  food. 

A  roast  goose  is  now  in  a  New  York  collec- 
tion, which,  but  for  a  look  of  extra  dryness,  might 
pass  for  a  specimen  of  yesterday's  cooking,  al- 
though baked  in  Egypt  three  thousand  years 
ago.  These  things  are  so  well  preserved  because 
the  climate  of  Egypt  has  been  so  dry.  A  piece 
of  white  paper  may  lie  in  an  Egyptian  tomb 
for  ten,  twenty,  or  fifty  years  without  showing 
a  particle  of  dust  or  discoloration. 

The  Abbott  collection  contains  a  lady's  work 
basket,  found  in  an  Egyptian  tomb  by  the  side  of 
the  body  of  a  lady  who  died  two   thousand  five 
hundred  years  ago.    That  basket  contains  scissors,     oidyet 
needles,  pins,  and  balls  of  thread,  beads,  etc.  «^'^- 

Now  millions  are  quite  certain  that  scissors, 
needles,  pins,  thread,  beads,  etc.,  were  compara- 
tively new  inventions,  yet  here  is  evidence  of 
their  use  two  thousand  five  hundred  years  ago. 

89 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Comfort 
for  rich 
only. 


These  articles  of  course  were  then  luxuries 
only  for  the  very  rich.  The  poor  had  no  part  in 
them  whatsoever. 

The  rich  slept  under  silken  covers,  between 
embroidered  curtains  of  silk,  on  feather  beds  of 
richly  ornate  elegance,  in  magnificently  propor- 
tioned rooms  with  inlaid  marble  floors,  exquisite- 
ly painted  or  frescoed,  which,  lacking  a  few  essen- 
tials of  our  later  necessities,  would  in  every  sense 
satisfy  the  most  fastidious  millionaire  to-day. 

The  poor  had  none  of  this.  Their  houses 
were  mean  and  squalid  in  every  respect.  They 
lived  rudely,  and  slept  crudely,  on  bundles  of 
straw,  or  hay,  or  grass.  They  were  by  no  means 
as  well  off  as  the  poor  of  Europe  to-day,  who 
know  nothing  of  the  comparative  wealth  of  luxury 
commonly  enjoyed  in  this  country  by  even  the 
humblest  of  our  fellows. 

To-day,  nearly  all  the  luxury  of  Egypt, 
ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  reserved  then  for  only 
the  great  and  wealthy,  are  everyday  comforts 
common  to  us  all. 

The  bedrooms,  as  well  as  the  buildings  of  the 
wealthy  Grecians,  have    never  been  equaled  for 


Luxury 
common 
to-day. 


90 


! 

\      1 

s 

^:ikjiL|iji4r"^  - 

A    GERMAN    BED    OF    THE    i8tH    CENTURY.      FROM    AN    EXAMPLE    NOW 
IN   THE   POTSDAM    PALACE 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Influence 
of  Greek 
art. 


magnificence  and  durability,  exhibiting  in  their 
construction  the  admirable  proportions  and  beauty 
of  the  three  Grecian  orders  of  architecture :  Doric, 
Ionic,  and  Corinthian. 

Those  bedrooms  have  always  been  considered 
among  the  wonders  of  human  art,  they  were  so 
long,  so  wide,  so  high,  and  so  roomy.  Though  for 
many  centuries  in  ruins,  they  are  to-day  the  recog- 
nized standards  and  copied  as  the  best  by  all 
nations. 

An  English  gentleman's  house  in  the  Middle 
Ages  containing  more  than  one  or  two  beds  was 
a  rarity.  The  stone  walls  were  usually  bare,  with- 
out wainscot  or  even  plaster,  excepting  in  the  ^^'^^  ^''^^' 
houses  of  the  higher  nobility,  where  they  were  ^^' 
furnished  with  hangings.  Libraries  and  pictures 
were  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  Silver  plate 
was  very  rare.  There  is  more  silver  plate  in  the 
New  York  homes  of  to-day  than  there  was  in  all 
England  during  the  years  prior  to  1600. 

The  Earl  of  Cumberland's  Skipton  Castle,  an 
immense  building  with  forty  rooms,  built  in  1572, 
had  but  eight  beds,  and  not  one  of  the  bed-cham- 
bers contained  chairs,  glasses  or  carpets. 


When 


91 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Queen 

Elizabeth. 


Queen  Elizabeth's  bed  was  built  of  rosewood 
and  was  of  great  size,  fully  as  large  in  itself  as  the 
modern  hall  bedrooms.  It  was  extremely  high 
with  steps  to  climb  up  therein.  The  Queen  slept 
on  feathers,  and  used  very  high  feather  pillows, 
sleeping  in  almost  a  sitting  posture. 

The  bed  stood  in  the  center  of  the  room,  on 
a  dais  or  raised  platform — the  head  to  the  wall — 
and  was  hung  with  beautifully  embroidered  cur- 
tains emblazoned  with  heraldic  designs  and  arms. 

Shakespeare,  in  the  Twelfth  Night,  refers  to 
the  celebrated  "  Bed  of  Ware"  : 

"As  many  lies  as  shall  lie  in  thy  sheet  of 
paper,  altho'  the  sheet  were  big  enough  for 
the  Bed  of  Ware." 

This  celebrated  bed,  according  to  a  well-known 
historical  manuscript,  was  originally  1 8  feet  6 
inches  wide,  12  feet  long,  and  had  a  pull-out 
or  truckle  again  as  large,  and  accommodated 
sixty-eight  people,  the  under  bed  holding  half 
that  number.  Mention  is  made  that  men  and 
their  wives  slept  in  this  manner :  first,  a  man 
and  his  wife;  then,  a  woman  and  her  husband; 
another    m.an   and    his    wife,    alternating    in    this 


Wonder- 
ful Bed 
of  Ware. 


92 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


way  so  that  no  man  was  near  to  any  woman  but 
his  wife.  It  was  made  by  Jonas  Fosbrooke,  a 
carpenter,  who,  after  spending  thirty  years  in  its 
construction,    presented    it    upon    completion  to 


Edward  IV.,  in  1463.  For  this  he  received  a 
pension  of  forty  marks  a  year. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  the  King — owing 
to  the  plague — the  bed  was  considerably  altered 
and  had  a  somewhat  checkered  career.  It  was 
taken  for  debt,  in  1765,  from  the  "Crown  Inn"  to 
the  "  Bull,"  for  years  the  chief  inn  of  Ware.  In 
1840  it  was  moved  to  Saracen's  Head,  when  it 
was  again  altered,  being  shortened  by  three  feet. 

In  1869  it  was  sold  for  a  hundred  guineas  to 
the  proprietor  of  the  Rye  House,  Roxbury,  where 
it  was  exhibited  at  a  charge  of  two  pence  a  head. 
It  is  described  as  a  very  elaborately  carved  affair 
of  Tudor  style,  and  built  of  solid  oak. 

The  "  second  best  bed "  that  Shakespeare 
left  in  his  famous  will  to  his  wife,  would  make 
about  four  of  our  beds  in  size.  Shakespeare  died 
wealthy,  and  his  "  second  best "  in  the  way  of 
beds,  an  article  at  that  time  so  precious  a  posses- 
sion, would  indeed  be  a  treasure  to-day. 


Made  for 

Edward 

IV. 


2nd  best 
of  Shake- 
speare. 


93 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Grotesque 
carvings 


The  heads  of  most  bedsteads  were  frequently 
carved.  Sometimes  grotesque  figures  were  em- 
ployed on  each  side  to  hold  the  curtains  when 
they  were  drawn  back.  Frequently  shelves  were 
placed  in  the  headboard ;  an  old  custom,  for 
Chaucer  alludes  to  them  when,  speaking  of  the 
studious  taste  of  the  scholar  in  the  Clerk's  Tale, 
he  says : 

"  For  him  was  leber  han  at  his  beddes  hed 
A  twenty  bokes  clothed  in  black  and  red." 

On  this  narrow  shelf  were  placed  medicine 
bottles,  books  and  candlesticks,  and  the  secret 
cupboard  was  not  unknown.  In  some  cases  these 
cupboards  contained  a  shrine.  Religious  senti- 
ment was  always  bestowed  upon  the  bed  in 
mediaeval  days,  for  not  only  were  angels  and 
cherubs  disposed  about  the  canopy  or  tester,  and 
the  carvings  Biblical  or  allegorical,  but  people 
taught  their  children  this  rhyme  : 

"  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John, 

Bless  the  bed  that  I  lie  on: 

Four  corners  to  my  bed, 

Four  angels  round  my  head; 

God  within,  God  without, 

Blessed  Jesus  all  about." 


Religious 
sentiment 


94 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sometimes  the  central  panel  of  the  bedsteads 
had  a  secret  spring,  so  that  it  could  be  used  as  a 
means  of  escape  into  the  adjoining  chamber  or     ,      , 

A  Jo  panels. 

secret  passage.  Cupboards  were  also  often  con- 
cealed artfully  in  the  large  bases  of  the  foot  posts. 

The  "  sixteen-post "  bedstead,  often  spoken 
of  in  old  manuscripts,  had  five  small  posts  on  each 
of  the  two  foot  posts,  which  counted  as  twelve, 
and  the  double  head  posts  as  two  each,  made  the 
sixteen. 

These  beds  in  a  more  or  less  elaborate  form  still 
existed  during  the  seventeenth  century,  and  our 
forefathers  in  the  southern  states  regarded  them 

o 

with  great  affection.     We  know  that  the  wealthy     q^^  coio- 
English   planters  of  Maryland   and  Virginia  set     "i^^^  M^- 
quite   as   much   store  by  their  beds,  which   they     J'^^  ^^*'''- 
brought  over  with  such  great  difficulty,  as  they 
did  at  home.     We  have  evidence  of  this  in  the 
wills,  as  well    as  in  the  prices    at    which     these 
articles  of  furniture  were  appraised  in  old  inven- 
tories still  in  existence. 

The  great  post  bedsteads,  heavily  carved,  with 
the  trundle  bed  below,  that  pulled  out  on  rollers, 
was  found  in  innumerable  homes.     The  trundle, 

9S 


T//^  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 

trundle 
bed. 


or  truckle  bed,  in  baronial  days  was  a  couch  of 
little  honor,  being  occupied  by  personal  attend- 
ants for  protection.   It  was  a  servile  resting  place: 

"  He  that  is  beaten  may  be  said 
To  lie  in  Honour's  truckle  bed." 

The  trundle  bed  was  used,  however,  almost 
exclusively  by  children  in  this  country. 

The  average  price  for  an  oak  carved  bedstead 
in  England — 1650  to  1700 — was  about  ^^150. 
They  were  the  most  important  and  expensive 
article  of  all  the  furnishings  of  the  home. 

As  was  the  importance  of  the  bedstead  and 
draperies  in  England  and  in  Europe,  so  it  was 
with  our  early  forefathers  in  America,  as  you  can 
gather  from  the  inventory  of  the  belongings  of 
Thomas   Deacon,  York  Co.,  Virginia,   in   1647, 

His  house  contained  but  two  rooms,  yet  he 
was  by  no  means  poor,  for  he  owned  two  bedsteads 
with  curtains  worth  850  pounds  of  tobacco  each. 
That  meant,  according  to  value  of  tobacco,  they 
were  worth  fully  one  thousand  dollars  each. 

The  will  of  Richard  Lee,  of  Virginia,  dated 
1663,  shows  the  particular  value  that  was  attached 
to  beds  at  that  time: 

96 


Early 
Virginia 
data. 


AN    KGVPllAN    BED    OR    "  OLT-DOOR  "    SLEEPING    I'LACE    SICII    AS    WAS 
USED    BY    CLEOPATRA 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Bed 


"Item.  My  will  and  earnest  desire  is  that  my 
household  stuff  at  Stratford  be  divided  into  three  parts, 
two  of  which  I  give  to  my  son  John,  and  bind  him  to 
give  to  every  one  of  his  brothers  a  bed,  and  the  other 
part  I  give  to  my  wife,  Anna  Lee. 

"Item.  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  eldest  son 
John  three  islands  lying  in  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake,  and 
the  great  bed  I  brought  over  in  the  Duke  of  York." 

The  use  of  bed  curtains,  or  hangings,  began  in 
mediasval  times,  prior  to  the  tenth  century,  when 
they  were  necessary  for  privacy,  gradually  increas-  hangings 
ing  in  richness  and  elegance,  until  they  more  than 
rivaled  the  bedstead  in  cost  during  the  thir- 
teenth century.  They  became  draperies  of  the 
most  splendid  ornament  and  grandeur  that  taste 
could  devise  during  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth 
centuries,  the  best  artists  of  the  day  lending  their 
talents  to  their  designing. 

Every  conceivable  fabric  was  used  in  their 
construction — the  most  costly  tapestry,  good  ex- 
amples of  which  cost  fabulous  prices  to-day  ;  old 
quaintly  woven  silks,  and  velvets  heavy  with  the 
finest  of  gold  embroidery.  The  designs  consisted 
of  arms  and  various  heraldic  devices,  as  well  as  set 
figures  of  flowers,  birds  and  animals. 


97 


^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 

' '  Couchde" 


Kings  and  queens  and,  of  course,  the  lesser 
lights  following  suit,  made  the  bedchamber  of 
even  greater  importance  than  ordinary,  receiving 
their  courtiers  therein.  This  was  particularly  so 
in  France,  where  instead  of  holding  levees,  as  the 
early  reception  was  called,  they  held  morning 
receptions,  called  "couchee,"  when  the  host  or 
hostess,  dressed  for  the  occasion,  received  in  bed. 

Both  beds  and  draperies  were  considered  most 
precious  belongings,  being  entailed,  or  else  were 
most  carefully  itemized  and  bequeathed  by  will. 

King  Edward  III.,  in  1376,  leaves  to  his  son 
Edward,  the  Black  Prince,  "  an  entire  bed  with  all 
the  hangings  marked  with  the  arms  of  France  and 
England  now  in  our  Palace  of  Westminster." 

Edward,  the  Black  Prince,  in  1377,  bequeaths 
"  to  our  son  Richard  the  bed  which  the  King  our 
father  gave  us  (the  same  bed),  and  to  Sir  Roger 
de  Clarendon,  an  embroidered  silk  bed.  To  Sir 
Robert  de  Walsham,  our  confessor,  a  large  bed 
of  red  camora,  with  our  arms  embroidered  at 
each  corner,  also  embroidered  with  the  arms  of 
Hereford:  to  Mons.  Alayne  Cheyne  our  bed  of 
camora,  powdered  v/ith  blue  eagles." 

98 


Bed  of 

Edward 

III. 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Richard 


His  widow,  in  1385,  gives  "to  my  dear  son, 
the  King  (Richard  the  Second),  my  new  bed  of 
red  velvet,  embroidered  with  ostrich  feathers  of 
silver  and  heads  of  leopards  of  gold,  with  boughs 
and  leaves  issuing  out  of  their  mouths.  To  my  //. 
dear  son  Thomas,  Earl  of  Kent,  my  bed  of 
camak  pied  with  red  and  rays  of  gold  :  to  my  dear 
son  John  Holland  a  bed  of  red  camak." 

In  1368,  Robert,  Earl  of  Suffolk,  bequeaths 
his  "  bed  with  the  eagles." 

Sir  Walter  Manney,  in  1371,  "all  my  beds 
and  dossers  (dossers  were  put  at  the  backs  of 
chairs  and  tables)  excepting  my  folding  bed,  paly 
of  blue  and  red." 

Edmund,  Earl  of  March,  in  1380,  leaves   by 
will  "our  large  bed  of  black  satin,  embroidered     March. 
with  white  lions  and  gold  roses,  with  escutcheons 
of  the  arms  of  Mortimer  and  Ulster." 

Margaret,  Countess  of  Devon,  in  1 391,  to  her 
son  Peter,  "my  bed  of  red  and  green  paly  silk." 

Richard,  Earl  of  Arundel,  who  died  wealthy, 
possessed  of  seven  beds  and  a  huge  family,  hav- 
ing been  twice  married,  in  1392  left  to  his  wife 
Phillipa,  "a  blue  bed  marked  with  my  arms  and 


Earl  of 


99 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Seven 
beds  of 
the  Earl 
A  rutidel. 


the  arms  of  my  late  wife,  also  the  hangings  which 
were  lately  made  in  London  of  blue  tapestry  with 
red  roses  with  the  arms  of  my  sons,  the  Earl 
Marshall,  Lord  Charlton,  and  Mons.  Willm. 
Beauchamp  ;  to  my  son  Richard,  a  standing  bed 
called  Clove :  also  a  bed  of  silk  embroidered 
with  arms  of  Arundel  and  Warren :  also  to  my 
said  son  the  state  bed  and  embroidered  hangings 
with  the  arms  of  Arundel  and  Warren  quarterly. 
To  my  dear  son  Thomas,  my  blue  bed  of  silk, 
embroidered  with  griffins.  To  my  daughter 
Charlton  my  bed  of  red  silk.  To  my  daughter 
Margaret  my  blue  bed." 

Sir  John  Cobham  bequeaths  in  1394  "a  red 
bed  embroidered  with  lions,  also  a  bed  of  Nor- 
wich stuff"  embroidered  with  butterflies." 

Alice,  Lady  West,  in  1395,  "a  bed  paled 
black  and  white  "  and  "  a  bed  of  tapiters  work." 

Paled  or  paly  is  the  heraldic  term  for  vertical, 
meaning  equal  alternate  stripes. 

John,  Duke  of  Lancaster,  in  1397  disposes  of 
"  my  large  bed  of  black  velvet  embroidered  with 
a  circle  of  fetter-locks  (the  badge  of  the  house  of 
Lancaster)  and  garters,  and  the  beds  made  for  my 

100 


Diike  of 
Lancaster 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


body  called  trussing  bed,  my  white  bed  of  silk 
with  blue  eagles  displayed." 

Thomas,  Earl  of  Warwick,  in  1400,  wills  "  a 
bed  of  silk  embroidered  with  bears  and  my  arms 
— with  all  thereto  appertaining." 

In  141 1,  Joanne,  Lady  Hungerford,  leaves 
"  a  green  bed  embroidered  with  one  greyhound." 

In   141 5   Edward,  Duke  of  York,  "my  bed 

r        ■  111  •     •  1  •  Duke  of 

rurniture,  and  all  appertammg  to  the  same  :  m-      york 
eluding  my  white  and  red  tapestry  of  garters,  fet- 
ter-locks  and  falcons"    (badge   of  the   house  of 
York). 

Camak  was  a  fabric  woven  of  fine  silk  and 
camel's  hair,  pied  meaning  spotted. 

Tapiter  means  tapestry. 

I  have  not  tried  to  preserve  the  quaint  original 
spelling  of  these  delightful  old  wills — nor  could  I 
possibly  publish  all  the  copies  that  I  have,  or  data 
I  have  secured  on  the  subject,  which  covers  a  large 
collection  ;  however,  the  following  is  particularly 
interesting. 

John  Washington,  of  Westmoreland  Co.,  Vir- 
ginia, left  to  his  daughters  his  mahogany  bedstead 
with  "  the  white  quilt  and  the  white  curtains  and 

lOI 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The 

Washing- 
ton family 


petticoat  vallance."  Mary  Washington  left  to 
her  son,  General  George  Washington,  her  "  best 
Virginia  bedstead  with  the  embroidered  cloth  cur- 
tains and  a  quilted  blue  and  white  coverlid  ";  and 
to  her  granddaughter,  Polly  Carter,  "  the  bedstead 
draped  with  purple  curtains  and  covered  with  a 
white  counterpane."  Virginia  bedstead  meant 
one  made  in  Virginia  from  imported  or  native 
wood,  and  this  is  the  bed  still  to  be  found  in 
Mount  Vernon. 

In  1799  this  was  a  famous  riddle  : 
"  Fram'd  long  ago,  yet  made  to  day, 
I'm  most  in  use  while  others  sleep  ; 
What  few  would  wish  to  give  away, 
But  fewer  still  would  wish  to  keep." 

(Bed.) 


102 


AN    "empire"    bed.       a    fine    EXAMPLE    OF    LATE    PERIOD,    OWNED    BY 
MRS.    BRADLEY    MARTIN 


DREAMS. 

HEN  we  are  in  good  health,  our 
dreams  will  be  normal,  and  the  out- 
come possible.  Sane,  natural  dreams, 
which  will  add  color  to  our  sleep,  with- 
out interrupting  its  progress  or  disturbing  its 
serenity.  Of  course  the  reverse  happens  should 
our  physical  condition  be  impaired. 

Dreams  of  the  philosopher  are  always  opti- 
mistic. They  never  partake  of  disturbed  elements. 
A  cheerful  spirit  accepts  the  result  calmly  and 
hopefully,  or  dispels  any  fear  as  to  the  outcome  of 
certain  projects  and  hopes — projects  and  hopes 
born  in  the  real  world  of  our  yesterdays,  or  the 
world  of  our  connected  dreams.  phUoso- 

Dreams  of  the  pessimist,  to  the  contrary,  are    ^^^^''/^- 

^  ^  'ha  c  CI  'tilt  ei 

full  of  vain  imaginings.  Characteristics  cannot 
be  shaken  off  with  the  coming  of  "  tired  nature." 
The  awakening  is  a  haze  of  unrest — and  natur- 
ally a  depleted  mental  and  physical  equipment  for 
the  day's  work. 

103 


pessimist. 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Dreams 


Mystery,  never  satisfying,  but  always  fascinat- 
ing, has  ever  dominated  our   days   and  dreams, 
time   out   of  mind.     Who  can  tell  a  connected 
story  of  a  mysterious  vision  ?     No  one  can  de- 
mysteri-        scHbe  clearly  the  subtle  effect  it  has   had  upon 
°^^-  him?     In  the  everyday  of  hfe  it  will  always  re- 

main as  something  which  seldom  seriously  affects 
or  directs  our  own  affairs.  In  dreams,  it  has  the 
same  effect  upon  us,  for  mysterious  dreams  are 
generally  the  result  of  some  physical  or  mental 
disorder,  and  thus  do  not  count  in  predicting 
events. 

The  Spirituality  of  Sleep,  a  mind  in  love  with 
God,  man,  nature — possessing  Heaven's  highest 
health — will  sleep  the  sleep,  and  dream  the 
spiritual  dreams  the  Creator  prepared  for  him.  Living 
for  others  by  day,  dreaming  for  others  by  night, 
is  it  any  wonder  that  out  of  the  dreams  of  these 
dreamers  have  come  those  interpretations  of  life 
which  have  furnished  much  of  the  inspiration 
that  has  led  others  along  the  perfect  paths  of 
peace  and  love. 


104 


THE  POETRY  OF  SLEEP. 

OPE  has  said  somewhere — that  he 
could  not  sleep  without  a  poem  in  his 
head,  and  elsewhere  observed,  with 
some  inconsistency,  that  verses  throng 
into  his  mind  and  keep  him  awake  in  spite  of  the  pope. 
drowsy  influence  of  lettuce.  It  seems  probable 
that  poets,  as  a  rule,  have  suffered  a  good  deal 
from  the  infliction  of  conflicting  thoughts  which 
banished  slumber. 

Sleep  needs  no  eulogy  from  the  poets,  for  the 
most  prosaic  of  us  have  felt  at  times  something 
akin  to  poetry  in  the  different  aspects  the 
"  drowsy  god  "  has  assumed  when  we  have  been 
cast  in  the  ways  of  the  mysterious  and  sublime. 
The  poets,  who  are  the  best  interpreters  of 
all  life,  have  voiced  for  us  not  only  the  mission 
of  sleep,  but  also  all  of  its  subtle  moods  and  faint 
whisperings. 

Homer,  who  is  among  the   first  to  write   on 
sleep,  says,  in  the  Fourteenth  Book  of  the  Iliad: 

105 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Homer. 


"Sleep  ;  King  of  all  the  gods  and  of  all  mor- 
tals, hearken  now,  prithee,  to  my  word;  and  if 
ever  before  thou  didst  listen,  obey  me  now,  and  I 
will  be  grateful  to  thee  all  my  days." 

There  is  something  delicate  and  caressing  in 
the  epithets  which  Homer  and  the  other  Greek 
poets  have  applied  to  sleep. 

"Then  fell,  delicious  upon  his  eyelids,  sleep 
unbroken,  the  sweetest  of  all." 

Here  the  thought  of  Homer  is  linked  with 
that  of  Socrates,  who  observes  that  men's  happiest 
moments  are  passed  in  sleep  so  sound  that  con- 
sciousness is  utterly  lost  and  undisturbed  even  by 
dreams. 

Evidently  the  Greeks  did  not  suffer  much 
from  insomnia.  Nerves  were  hardly  known,  for 
people  then  lived  almost  entirely  in  the  open. 

The  Greek  poets  thought  of  sleep  as  the  nat- 
ural and  pleasant  diversion  of  freeness  in  the 
summer  noons,  when  the  citizens  would  leave 
the  towns  to  lie  on  grass  "  more  soft  than  slum- 
ber," within  hearing  of  rippling  waters  and  buzz- 
ing bees  in  the  lime  trees. 

The  poets  of  other  days  were  obliged  to  sim- 

io6 


The  Greek 
poets. 


AN    EARLY    COLONIAL    LOW    POST    BED    OF    AMERICAN    MAKE 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Pont  us  de 
Tyard. 


ulate  a  want  of  sleep,  whether  they  felt  it  or  not. 
It  was  part  of  their  poetic  machinery  to  begin  a 
poem  by  pretending  that,  after  long  lying  sleep- 
less, they  arose  and  wandered  into  a  wood,  where 
they  met  many  a  fairy  vision. 

No  poet  of  that  age,  however,  has  described 
the  phenomena  of  a  coy  and  hesitating  sleep  more 
intimately  than  the  old  French  writer,  Pontus  de 
Tyard.  He  likens  sleep  to  the  lord  of  all  the 
army  of  phantoms  that  flit  before  the  drowsy,  but 
not  yet  unconscious  brain,  and  appear  to  be 
dreams  in  waking. 

"  Come,  Sleep,  and  cast  thy  wings  about  my  head, 
And  thine  own  temples  shall  be  garlanded, 
With  drowsy  poppy  leaves  and  labdanum." 

Since  then,  while  some  of  the  poetry  of  sleep 
has  been  unimportant  and  trivial,  there  still  re- 
mains much  that  is  worth  while — many  messages 
of  uplift  and  beauty. 

Little  wonder  is  it,  then,  that  a  subject  so 
vital,  so  beautiful,  and  so  mysterious  has  appealed 
to  the  poets.  The  great  wonder  is  that  Sleep, 
possessing  as  it  does  such  universal  interest  for 
mankind,   has    not  been   marked  in   its  poetical 


107 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


literature,  many  a  time  ere  this,  for  the  immortahty 

of  a  book. 

The  poems  selected  herewith  are  of  such  a 
Character  ^^g^  character — some  of  them  ranking  as  the 
of  the  authors'    masterpieces — that    the    editor    of    this 

poetry.  volumc  fccls  that  his  readers  will  appreciate  their 

appearance  and  assemblage  in  a  place  apart. 


A  MOORISH   CRADLE   INLAID   WITH  IVORY   AND   PEARL. 


T08 


The  Poetry  of  Sleep 


Sftafeespeare  on  Sleep. 

"I  TOW  many  thousand  of  my  poorest  subjects  Henry  TV 

Are  at  this  hour  asleep  !  Sleep,  O  gentle  Sleep, 
Nature's  soft  nurse,  how  have  I  frighted  thee, 
That  thou  no  more  wilt  weigh  my  eyelids  down, 
And  steep  my  senses  in  forgetfulness  ? 
Why,  rather,  Sleep,  liest  though  in  smoky  cribs, 
Upon  uneasy  pallets  stretching  thee, 
And  hushed  with  buzzing  night-flies  to  thy  slumber, 
Than  in  the  perfumed  chambers  of  the  great, 
Under  the  canopies  of  costly  state, 
And  lulled  with  sounds  of  sweetest  melody  ? 
O  thou  dull  god,  why  liest  thou  with  the  vile, 
In  loathsome  beds ;  and  leav'st  the  kingly  couch, 
A  watch-case,  or  a  common  'larum-bell  ? 
Wilt  thou  upon  the  high  and  giddy  mast 
Seal  up  the  ship-boy's  eyes,  and  rock  his  brains 
In  cradle  of  the  rude,  imperious  surge  ; 
And  in  the  visitation  of  the  winds. 
Who  take  the  ruffian  billows  by  the  top, 
Curling  their  monstrous  heads,  and  hanging  them 
With  deaf'ning  clamors  in  the  slippery  clouds. 
That,  with  the  hurly,  death  itself  awakes  ? 

Ill 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Canst  thou,  O  partial  Sleep  !  give  thy  repose 

To  the  wet  sea-boy  in  an  hour  so  rude  ; 

And,  in  the  calmest  and  most  stillest  night, 

With  all  appliances  and  means  to  boot, 

Deny  it  to  a  king  ?     Then,  happy  low,  lie  down  ! 

Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown." 


Queen 
Margaret 

of 

Richard 

III 

Hamlet 


"No  sleep  close  up  that  deadly  eye  of  thine, 
Unless  it  be  while  some  tormenting  dream 
Affrights  thee  with  a  hell  of  ugly  devils  I  " 


"To  die,  —  to  sleep, — 
No  more  ;  and,  by  a  sleep,  to  say  we  end 
The  heart-ache,  and  the  thousand  natural  shocks 
That  flesh  is  heir  to, — 'tis  a  consummation 
Devoutly  to  be  wish'd.     To  die, —  to  sleep  ;  — 
To  sleep !  perchance  to  dream ; — ay,  there's  the  rub ; 
For  in  that  sleep  of  death  what  dreams  may  come, 
When  we  have  shuffled  off  this  mortal  coil, 
Must  give  us  pause." 


Julius 

Ccesar 


Brutus 


"Let  me  have  men  about  me  that  are  fat, 
Sleek-headed  men,  and  such  as  sleep  o'  nights." 


"I  would  it  were  my  fault  to  sleep  so  soundly." 
"  Boy  !   Lucius  !  —  Fast  asleep  ?     It  is  no  matter 
Knjoy  the  heavy  honey-dew  of  slumber  : 
Thou  hast  no  figures  nor  no  fantasies, 


H2 


THE    CELEBRATED     FRENCH    BED    OF    MARIE   ANTOINETTE    WITH 
ITS  MAGNIFICENT   HANGINGS 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Which  busy  care  draws  in  the  brains  of  men : 
Therefore,  thou  sleep'st  so  sound." 
''Since  Cassius  first  did  whet  me  ag-ainst  Caesar, 
I  have  not  slept." 


"  Sleep  shall  neither,  nig"ht  nor  day, 
Hang-  upon  his  pent-house  lid  : 
He  shall  live  a  man  forbid." 


"Not  poppy,  nor  mandragora, 
Nor  all  the  drowsy  syrups  of  the  world. 
Shall  ever  medicine  thee  to  that  sweet  sleep 
Which  thou  ow'dst  yesterday." 


"Methoug-ht  I  heard  a  voice  cry,  '  Sleep  no  more  ! 
Macbeth  does  murder  sleep,'  the  innocent  sleep. 
Sleep  that  knits  up  the  raveled  sleeve  of  care. 
The  death  of  each  day's  life,  sore  labor's  bath. 
Balm  of  hurt  minds,  great  nature's  second  course, 
Chief  nourisher  in  life's  feast." 


The 

Witch,  in 
Macbeth 


lago 


Macbeth 


"  With  him  above 
To  ratify  the  work,  we  may  again 
Give  to  our  tables  meat,  sleep  to  our  nights." 

"Tell  me,  sweet  lord,  what  is  't  that  takes  from  thee 
Thy  stomach,  pleasure,  and  thy  gplden  sleep  ?  " 


"3 


Lady  Per- 
cy to  Hot- 
spur in 
Henry  IV 


MED1/€VAL    BED    OF    THE    THIRTEENTH    CEKTURY 
STYLE    KKOWN    AS    FRENCH     GOTHIC 


SONNETS    ON    SLEEP. 


\  A/EARY  with  toil  I  haste  me  to  my  bed, 

The  dear  repose  for  limbs  with  travel  tir'd  ; 
But  then  beg-ins  a  journey  in  my  head, 

To  work  my  mind  when  body's  work's  expired  ; 
For  then  my  thoug-hts  (from  afar  where  I  abide) 

Intend  a  jealous  pilg-rimag-e  to  thee, 
And  keep  my  drooping  eye-lids  open  wide, 

Looking  on  darkness  which  the  blind  do  see, 
Save  that  my  soul's  imaginary  sight 

Presents  thy  shadow  to  my  sightless  view, 
Which,  like  a  jewel  hung  in  ghastly  night, 

Makes  black  night  beauteous,  and  her  old  face 
new. 
Lo  !  thus,  by  day  my  limbs,  by  night  my  mind, 

For  thee,  and  for  myself,  no  quiet  find. 

— Shakespeare, 


115 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


r^  IRT  in  dark  growths,  yet  glimmering-  with  one 
^     star, 

O  night  desirous,  as  the  nights  of  youth  ! 

Why  should  my  heart  within  thy  spell,  forsooth. 
Now  beat,  as  the  bride's  finger-pulses  are 
Quickened  within  the  girdling*  g-olden  bar  ? 

What  wings  are  these  that  fan  my  pillow  smooth  ? 

And  why  does  Sleep,  waved  back  by  Joy  and  Ruth, 
Tread  softly  round  and  gaze  at  me  from  far  ? 
Nay,  night  deep-leaved  !   And  would  Love  feign  in 
thee 

Some  shadowy  palpitating  grove  that  bears 

Rest  for  man's  eyes  and  music  for  his  ears  ? 
O  lonely  night  !  art  thou  not  known  to  me, 
A  thicket  hung  with  masks  of  mockery 

And  watered  with  the  wasteful  warmth  of  tears  ? 

— Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti. 


ii6 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Sleep. 

p  ARE-CHARMER,  Sleep,  son  of  the  sable  Night, 

Brother  to  death,  in  silent  darkness  born, 
Relieve  my  ang-uish,  and  restore  the  light, 

With  dark  forgetting  of  my  care,  return. 
And  let  the  day  be  time  enough  to  mourn 

The  shipwreck  of  my  ill-advised  youth  ; 
Let  waking  eyes  suflBce  to  wail  their  scorn. 

Without  the  torments  of  the  night's  untruth. 
Cease,  dreams,  the  images  of  day-desires. 

To  model  forth  the  passions  of  to-morrow  ; 
Never  let  the  rising  sun  prove  you  liars, 

To  add  more  grief,  to  aggravate  my  sorrow. 
Still  let  me  sleep,  embracing  clouds  in  vain. 
And  never  wake  to  feel  the  day's  disdain. 

— Samuel  Daniel. 

"MOW  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 

I  pray  thee.  Lord,  my  soul  to  keep. 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  thee,  Lord,  my  soul  to  take. 

— Anonymous. 

117 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


JntJDcation  to  Sleep. 

I    OCK  up,  fair  lids,  the  treasure  of  my  heart, 

Preserve  those  beams,  this  age's  only  light ; 
To  her  sweet  sense,  sweet  Sleep,  some  ease  impart. 

Her  sense  too  weak  to  bear  her  Spirit's  might, 
And  while,  O  Sleep,  thou  closest  up  her  sight  ! 

Her    sight,    where   Love   did   forge   his   fairest 
dart, — 
O  harbor  all  her  parts  in  easeful  plight ; 

Let  no  strange  dream  make  her  fair  body  start ; 
But  yet,  O  dream,  if  thou  wilt  not  depart 

In  this  rare  subject  from  thy  common  right, 

But  wilt  thyself  in  such  a  seat  delight ; 
Then  take  my  shape  and  play  a  lover's  part, 

Kiss  her  from  me,  and  say  unto  her  sprite, 

'Till  her  eyes  shine,  I  live  in  darkest  night. 

—  Sir  Philip  Sidney 


ii8 


A  SCANDINAVIAN  SLEEPING  PLACE  DATING  FROM  THE  EARLY   I7TH  CENTURY 
SEVERAL   FEATHER    BEDS    WERE    PILED    THEREIN 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Sonnet  to  Sleep. 

r\  SOFT  embalmer  of  the  still  midnight, 

Shutting"  with  careful  fingers  and  benig-n, 
Our  g-loom-pleased  eyes,  embowered  from  the  lig-ht, 

Enshaded  in  forg-etfulness  divine  : 
O  soothest  Sleep  !  if  so  it  please  thee,  close, 

In  midst  of  this  thine  hyrnn,  my  willing-  eyes, 
Or  wait  the  amen,  ere  the  poppy  throws 

Around  my  bed  its  lulling-  charities  ; 
Then  save  me,  or  the  passed  day  will  shine, 

Upon  my  pillow,  breeding-  many  woes, — 
Save  me  from  envious  conscience,  that  still  lords 

Its  strength  for  darkness,  burrowing  like  a  mole  ; 
Turn  the  key  deftly  in  the  oiled  wards, 

And  seal  the  hushed  casket  of  my  soul. 

— Keats. 


119 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Co  a  (girl  Asleep. 

IF  Sleep  who  holds  thee  in  his  arms,  could  wake 
And  view  thee  wrapped  within  thine  own  caress, 
Not  all  the  promises  that  dreams  could  make 

Would  woo  him  back  into  unconsciousness. 
For  Sleep  would  feed  his  liberated  eyes 

Upon  thy  white  enchantment  evermore, 
Choosing  to  touch  thee  in  that  daintier  wise 

Rather  than  fold  thee  blindly,  as  before. 
Yet  should  his  lids,  unwonted  to  the  day, 

Close,  in  despite  of  his  enraptured  will, 
Methinks  ere  silence  fell  his  lips  would  say  ; 

"  Daug-hter  of  beauty,  stay  beside  me  still ; 
For  nowhere  else  canst  thou  so  perfect  be 

As  when  thy  bloom  is  sanctified  by  me." 

— Albert  Edmund  Lancaster. 

[By  permission  of  the  author.] 


I  20 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Co  Sleep. 

COND  words  have  oft  been  spoken  to  thee,  Sleep ! 
And   thou   hast   had   thy   store    of    tenderest 
names  ; 
The  very  sweetest  Fancy  culls  or  frames, 
When  thankfulness  of  heart  is  strong-  and  deep  ! 
Dear  Bosom-child  we  call  thee,  that  dost  steep 
In  rich  reward  all  suffering- ;  Balm  that  tames 
All  anguish  ;  Saint  that  evil  thoughts  and  aims 
Takest  away,  and  into  souls  dost  creep, 
Like  to  a  breeze  from  heaven.     Shall  I  alone, 
I  surely  not  a  man  ungently  made, 
Call  thee  worst  Tyrant  by  which  flesh  is  crost  ? 
Perverse,  self-willed  to  own  and  to  disown, 
Mere  slave  of  them  who  never  for  thee  prayed. 
Still  last  to  come  where  thou  art  wanted  most ! 

— Wordsworth. 


121 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


INVISIBLE  armies  come,  we  know  not  whence, 

And  like  a  still,  insinuating-  tide 
Encompass  us  about  on  every  side, 
Imprisoning-  each  weary  outpost  sense, 
Till  thought  is  taken,  sleeping  in  his  tents  I 
Yet  now  the  conqueror  with  lofty  pride 
Becomes  our  guardian,  with  us  doth  abide 
And  plans  all  night  our  wondrous  recompense. 
He  takes  away  the  weary,  worn-out  day. 
And  brings  to-morrow  — bride  without  a  stain  ; 
Gives  us  fresh  liberty,  a  chance  to  mend  ; 
Life,  hope  and  friends  enhanced  with  fresh  array. 
Then  when  we  fail  he  conquers  us  again, 
Paroling  us  each  day  until  the  end. 

— Charles  H.  Crandall. 

[Courtesy  of  Harper  &  Brothers.] 


122 


A    HRETON    liRI).        THE    SLEEPING    PLACE    IN    THE    LIVING    ROOM.       A    MOV- 
ABLE  ARTICLE   AND    A   MOST   EXCELLENT   EXAMPLE 


THE    POETRY  OF  DREAMS. 


TF  there  were  dreams  to  sell 

What  would  you  buy  ? 
Some  cost  a  passing-  bell  ; 

Some  a  lig"ht  sigh 
That  shakes  from  Life's  fresh  crown 
Only  a  rose  leaf  down. 
If  there  were  dreams  to  sell, 
Merry  and  sad  to  tell, 
And  the  crier  rung-  the  bell. 

What  would  you  bu}^  ? 

A  cottag"e  lone  and  still, 

With  bowers  nig-h. 
Shadowy,  my  woes  to  still 

Until  I  die. 
Such  pearl  from  Life's  fresh  crown 
Fain  would  I  shake  me  down. 
Were  dreams  to  have  at  will, 
This  would  best  heal  my  ill, 

This  would  I  buy. 


123 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


But  there  were  dreams  to  sell 

111  didst  thou  buy. 
Life  is  a  dream,  they  tell, 

Waking-  to  die 
Dreaming-,  a  dream  to  prize, 
Is  wishing-  g-hosts  to  rise  ; 
And,  if  I  had  the  spell 
To  call  the  buried  well, 

Which  one  would  I  ? 


-Thomas  Lovell  Beddoes. 


C  HE  I  love  (alas,  in  vain  !) 

Floats  before  my  slumbering-  eyes: 
When  she  comes  she  lulls  my  pain. 

When  she  g-oes,  what  pang-s  arise  ! 
Thou  whom  love,  whom  memory  flies, 

Gentle  Sleep  !  prolong-  thy  reig-n  ! 
If  even  thus  she  soothes  my  sig-hs, 

Never  let  me  wake  ag-ain  ! 

— Walter  Savage  Landor. 


124 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


A  BOU  BEN  ADHEM  (may  his  tribe  increase  !) 
Awoke  one  nig"ht  from  a  deep  dream  of  peace, 
And  saw  within  the  moonlight  in  his  room, 
Making-  it  rich  and  like  a  lily  in  bloom, 
An  angel  writing  in  a  book  of  gold  : 
Exceeding  peace  had  made  Ben  Adhem  bold, 
And  to  the  presence  in  the  room  he  said, 
' '  What  writest  thou  ?  "    The  vision  raised  its  head, 
And,  with  a  look  made  all  of  sweet  accord, 
Answered,   "The    names   of    those  who   love   the 

Lord." 
"  And  is  mine  one  ?  "  said  Abou.      "  Nay,  not  so," 
Replied  the  angel.     Abou  spoke  more  low. 
But  cheerily  still  ;  and  said,  "  I  pray  thee  then, 
Write  me  as  one  that  loves  his  fellow  men." 

The  angel  wrote,  and  vanished.     The  next  night 
It  came  again,  with  a  great  awakening  light, 
And  showed  the  names  whom   love   of   God    had 

blessed, — 
And  lo  !  Ben  Adhem's  name  led  all  the  rest  ! 

— Leigh  Hunt. 


125 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


C|)e  ^oef  s  Bream. 

(~\^  a  Poet's  lips  I  slept 

^^^     Dreaming-  like  a  love-adept 

In  the  sound  his  breathing-  kept  ; 

Nor  seeks  nor  finds  he  mortal  blisses, 

But  feeds  on  the  aerial  kisses 

Of  shapes  that  haunt  Thoug-ht's  wilderness. 

He  will  watch  from  dawn  to  g-loom 

The  lake-reflected  sun  illume 

The  yellow  bees  in  the  ivy-bloom, 

Nor  heed  nor  see  what  thing-s  they  be  — 
But  from  these  create  he  can 
Forms  more  real  than  living  Man, 

Nursling-s  of  Immortality. 

— Percy  Bysshe  Shelley. 


126 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Song  of  ti)e  i^igi^t. 

DREAK,  Pant'sy,  from  thy  care  of  cloud 

And  spread  thy  purple  wing's  ; 
Now  all  the  fig-ures  are  allowed 
And  various  shapes  of  thing's  ; 
Create  of  fairy  forms  a  stream, 
It  must  have  blood,  but  naug'ht  of  fleam, 
And  thoug'h  it  be  a  waking-  dream, 
Yet  let  it  like  an  odor  rise 

To  all  the  senses  here, 
And  fall  like  sleep  upon  their  eyes 
Or  music  in  their  ear. 


-Ben  Jonson. 


TN  time  of  sorrow 

"We  sleep  to  forg-et ; 
To  wake  on  the  morrow, 

With  a  fond  regret. 

— M. 


127 


^CSJ 


HOODED    GOTHIC    BEDSTEAD   OF   THE   FOURTEENTH 
CENTURY 


A    CURIOUSLY    GRACEFUL    VENETIAN    WROUGHT    IRON    BED,    WITH  BEAUTIFUL 
OLD    SILK    DAMASK    HANGINGS,    FROM    AN    OLD    PALACE 


REST   AND    SLEEP. 


CTARS  of  the  summer  nig-ht  ! 

Far  in  yon  azure  deeps, 
Hide,  hide  your  golden  light  I 
She  sleeps  I 
My  lady  sleeps  ! 
Sleeps  ! 

Moon  of  the  summer  night  ! 

Far  down  yon  western  steeps, 
Sink,  sink  in  silver  light  ! 
She  sleeps  ! 
My  lady  sleeps  I 
Sleeps  ! 

"Wind  of  the  summer  night  ! 

Where  yonder  woodbine  creeps, 
Fold,  fold  thy  pinions  light  ! 
She  sleeps  ! 
My  lady  sleeps  I 
Sleeps  I 


129 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Dreams  of  the  summer  night  ! 

Tell  her,  her  lover  keeps 
Watch  !  while  in  slumbers  light 
She  sleeps  I 
My  lady  sleeps  ! 
Sleeps  ! 

— Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

[By  permisaion  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  ti  Co.] 

(f^i),  ti)e  Nig1)t. 

/^H,  the  Nig-ht,  the  Night  ! 
^^^     'Tis  a  lovely  sight, 

Whatever  the  clime  or  time  1 
For  sorrow  then  soareth, 
And  the  lover  outpoureth 

His  soul  in  a  star-bright  rhyme. 
It  bringeth  sleep 
To  the  forests  deep, 
The  forest-bird  to  its  nest ; 
To  Care  bright  hours. 
And  dreams  of  flowers. 
And  that  balm  of  the  weary — rest ! 

— Bakry  Cornwall. 


130 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


'T'HE  crowd  are  gone,  the  Revelers  at  rest ; 

The  courteous  host,  and  all-approving-  guest, 
Again  to  that  accustom'd  couch  must  creep, 
Where  Joy  subsides,  and  Sorrow  sighs  to  sleep, 
And  man  o'erlabour'd  with  his  being's  strife. 
Shrinks  to  that  sweet  forgetfulness  of  Life  : 
There    lie   Love's   feverish    hope,    and   Cunning's 

guile  ; 
Hate's  working  brain,  and  lull'd  Ambition's  wile  : 
O'er  each  vain  eye  oblivion's  pinions  wave. 
And  quench'd  existence  crouches  in  a  grave. 
What  better  name  may  Slumber's  bed  become  ? 
Night's  Sepulchre,  the  universal  Home, 
Where  Weakness,    Strength,  Vice,  Virtue,    sunk 

supine. 
Alike  in  naked  helplessness  recline  ; 
Glad  for  awhile  to  heave  unconscious  breath. 
Yet  wake  to  wrestle  with  the  dread  of  death. 
And  shun,  though  day  but  dawn  on  ills  increased. 
That  Sleep,  the  loveliest,  since  it  dreams  the  least. 

— Byron. 


31 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


®:t)e  Sleep. 

r\T  all  the  thougrhts  of  God  that  are 
Borne  inward  unto  souls  afar, 

Along"  the  Psalmist's  music  deep, — 
Now  tell  me  if  there  any  is, 
For  g-ift  or  grace,  surpassing-  this, — 

"  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep."? 

What  would  we  give  to  our  beloved? 
The  hero's  heart  to  be  unmoved, — 

The  poet's  star-tuned  harp  to  sweep  ; 
The  patriot's  voice  to  teach  and  rouse, — 
The  monarch's  crown  to  light  the  brows  ? 

"He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 

"What  do  we  give  to  our  beloved  ? 
A  little  faith,  all  undisproved, 

A  little  dust  to  overweep  ; 
And  bitter  memories  to  make 
The  whole  earth  blasted  for  our  sake  ! 

"  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 

"  Sleep  soft,  beloved  !  "  we  sometimes  say, 
But  have  no  tune  to  charm  away 


132 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Sad  dreams  that  thro'  the  eyelids  creep  ; 
But  never  doleful  dream  again 
Shall  break  the  happy  slumber  when 

"  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 

O  earth,  so  full  of  dreary  noise  ! 
O  men,  with  wailing-  in  your  voice  ! 

O  delved  gold  the  wailers  heap  ! 
O  strife,  O  curse,  that  o'er  it  fall  ! 
God  strikes  a  silence  thro'  you  all, 

And  "  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 

His  dews  drop  mutely  on  the  hill, 
His  cloud  above  it  saileth  still, 

Though  on  its  slope  men  toil  and  reap ; 
More  softly  than  the  dew  is  shed. 
Or  cloud  is  floated  overhead, 

"He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 

For  me,  my  heart,  that  erst  did  go 
Most  like  a  tired  child  at  a  show, 

That  sees  thro'  tears  the  jugglers  leap. — 
Would  now  its  wearied  vision  close, 
Would  childlike  on  His  love  repose, 

Who  "  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 

— Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning. 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


$n  t1)e  ftigf)t. 

f~^  OD  g"ive  me  sleep — the  night  is  worn  away ; 
^^     Soon  from  the  East  will  come  relentless  Day — 
Day,  that  will  summon  me  to  strive  again 
With  strong,  resourceful,  eager,  selfish  men. 
I,  with  spent  nerves  and  brain  long  robbed  of  rest, 
Must  face  the  fight  they  enter  on  with  zest. 
Fame,  fortune,  all  is  staked  !     How  shall  I  keep 
My  foothold  ?     Help  me,  O  thrice-blessed  Sleep  ! 

Under  the  spell  of  women  and  of  wine 
Youth  thrusts  you  rudely  by,  O  Sleep  divine  I 
The  children  whimper,  forced  to  leave  their  play 
And  wait  your  coming,  at  the  close  of  day  ; 
The  student,  heavy-lidded,  from  his  quest 
Turns  with  a  scowl  to  his  unwelcome  guest ; 
The  hind  you  solace  counts  your  blessing  cheap 
I,  who  invite  you,  wait  in  vain,  O  Sleep  I 

I  toss  upon  my  pillow  ;  I  arise 
To  pace  the  floor  and  bathe  my  burning  eyes. 
To  every  sound  my  straining  ear  is  quick ; 
I  hear  the  hall-clock's  dull,  majestic  tick  ; 
I  hear  the  mice  that  scamper  in  the  wall ; 


AN   ITALIAN   CARVED   OAK   FOUR-POST   BED   OF   THE   i6TH   CENTURY 
UNUSUAL    FORM    OF    POSTS    AND    BASE 


"Poetry  of  Sleep 


And  somewhere  water  drips — I  hear  it  fall. 

A  cock  crows  shrilly,  and  the  clock  strikes  four. 

Day,  maddening*  Day,  will  soon  be  here  once  more. 

I  pause  beside  my  baby  boy's  white  bed. 

What  happy  dreams  sweep  through  that  little  head! 

He  plucks  the  nodding-  flowers,  and  he  sees 

Birds  on  the  wing",  and  hears  the  drone  of  bees  ; 

While  in  my  ears  still  dins  the  roar  of  trade — 

Gross  facts  and  figures  face  me,  unafraid  ; 

My  whirling"  brain  spins  on  through  problems  deep. 

God  give  me  sleep — one  short,  sweet  hour  of  sleep  1 

Who  was  that  Florentine,  by  Vigil  led 
Into  the  Underworld — whose  fancy  bred 
That  horrid  Hell  ?     Great  Dante  I     Did  he  write 
As  one  who  knew  the  torments  of  the  night  ? 
Lord  of  the  Darkness,  Master  of  the  Sun, 
Strip  me  of  all  my  strenuous  life  has  won, 
But  let  Sleep's  sweet  oblivion  o'er  me  sweep, 
Closing  Night's  leering  eyes — oh,  give  me  sleep  1 

— Town  Topics. 


^^S 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sleep. 

Q OMNUS — or  Morpheus  was  his  name  ? 
*^     I  have  forgot — I  cannot  keep 
My  schoolboy  learning  :  as  it  came, 
It  went — I  mean  the  god  of  Sleep. 

That  god  and  I  were  once  fast  friends, 
But  now  his  face  I  seldom  see  ; 

More  oft  the  blessed  rain  descends 
In  Egypt,  than  his  dews  on  me. 

Ah  me  !     The  joy  I  had  in  dreams — 
The  nightly  comfort  to  forget — 

Is  mine  no  more  ;  the  morning  beams 
On  eyes  like  faded  asters,  wet  : 

Yes,  moistened  oft  with  poisonous  tears, 
Till  the  burnt  lashes  look  so  few. 

You  might  suppose  that  three  score  years 
Were  mine  instead  of  thirty-two  : 

Well ,  I  can  wait  a  little  more, 
A  little  longer  wake  and  weep. 

Until  the  welcome  grave  restore 
The  bliss  of  an  unbroken  sleep. 


136 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Let  me  remember  Him  that  while 
His  tired  disciples  round  him  slept — 

(The  sinless  born,  that  knew  no  guile  !  ) — 
Watched  in  Gethsemane  and  wept. 

— Thomas  W.  Parsons. 

[By  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.] 

Kigi)t  Ci)ougt)ts. 

'T'IRED  Nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep  ! 

He  like  the  world  his  ready  visit  pays 
Where  Fortune  smiles  ;  the  wretched  he  forsakes. 
Swift  on  his  downy  pinion  flies  from  woe 
And  lights  on  lids  unsully'd  with  a  tear. 


Man's  rich  restorative  his  balmy  bath 
That  supplies,  lubricates  and  keeps  in  play 
The  various  movements  of  this  nice  machine  ; 
Which  asks  such  frequent  periods  of  repair. 
When  tired  with  vain  rotations  of  the  day, 
Sleep  winds  us  up  for  the  succeeding  dawn, 
Fresh  we  spin  on  till  sickness  clogs  our  wheels. 
Or  death  quite  breaks  the  spring,  and  motion  ends. 

— Young. 


'37 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


W^t  Hong  Bag  Otloses. 

\TO  star  is  o'er  the  lake 

.    Its  pale  watch  keeping  ; 
The  moon  is  half  awake, 

Throug-h  gray  mist  creeping- ; 
The  last  red  leaves  fall  round 

The  porch  of  roses  ! 
The  clock  hath  ceased  to  sound  : 

The  long-  day  closes. 

Sit  by  the  silent  hearth, 

In  calm  endeavor 
To  count  the  sounds  of  mirth 

Now  dumb  forever. 
Heed  not  how  hope  believes, 

And  fate  disposes  : 
Shadow  is  round  the  eaves, 

The  long-  day  closes. 

The  lighted  windows  dim 

Are  fading  slowly ; 
The  fire  that  was  so  trim 

Now  quivers  lowly. 


138 


I.'ART    NOUVEAU    HED,    SHOWING    PART   OF    THE    INTERIOR    OF 
A    MODERN    VIENNESE    BED    ROOM 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Go  to  the  dreamless  bed 

Where  grief  reposes  ; 
The  book  of  toil  is  read, 

The  long-  day  closes. 

—Anonymous. 


Sleep. 

r\  HAPPY  Sleep !    that  bear'st  upon  thy  breast 

The  blood-red  poppy  of  enchanting-  rest, 
Draw  near  me  through  the  stillness  of  this  place 
And  let  thy  low  breath  move  across  my  face, 
As  faint  winds  move  above  a  poplar's  crest. 
O,   happy  Sleep  ! 

There  is  no  sorrow  hidden  or  confess'd, 
There  is  no  passion  uttered  or  suppress'd, 
Thou  can'st  not  for  a  little  while  efface  ; 
Enfold  me  in  thy  mystical  embrace. 
Thou  sovereign  gift  of  God,  most  sweet,  most  blest. 
O,  happy  Sleep  ! 

— Ada  Louise  Martin. 


139 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Come,  Sleep. 

/^OME,  g"entlest  Sleep;  the  hour  is  hushed  and  holy, 
Night  and  her  stars  their  solemn  courses  keep  ; 
In  every  breast  but  mine  the  heart  beats  slowly — 
The  g-ates  are  shut,  the  curtains  drawn: 
Come,  Sleep  ! 

Come,  Sleep,  and  take  my  soul  out  of  this  dwelling 
Whose  guarded  chambers  yield  to  none  but  thee; 

Time's  troubled  waves,  in  restless  currents  swelling, 
Pause  on  the  white  brink  of  eternity. 

Come,  Sleep,  oh,  come  in  drowsy  silence  stealing  ; 

Soft  as  the  snow  falls,  o'er  my  eyelids  creep ; 
Bright  heaven  of  dreams,  bright  source  of  strength 
and  healing. 
Sweet  gate  of  life,  sweet  tj'pe  of  death — 
Come,  Sleep  ! 

— Dora  Read  Goodale, 

In  Lippincotts"  Magazine. 

[  By  permission  of  the  Author.  ] 


140 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Sleep. 

\A/HEN  the  evening-  shadows  creep 
^  ^       Stealthily, 
Hiding-  every  hill  and  dale, 
Hiding-  all  thing-s  with  their  veil ; 
When  the  shining-  day  doth  die, 
Sweet  is  Sleep. 

When  the  evening-  shadows  creep 

Stealthily, 
To  the  baby  in  her  nest, 
Longing-  for  her  quiet  rest. 
Hushed  by  loving-  lullaby. 
Sweet  is  Sleep. 

When  the  evening-  shadows  creep 

Stealthily, 
To  the  weary  heart  and  brain 
Bringing-  tranquil  peace  ag-ain  ; 
All  our  cares  and  sorrows  fly, — 
Sweet  is  sleep. 

— Dora  Read  Goodale. 

[By  courtesy  of  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons.] 


141 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


®:o  a  ?latiB  Sleeping. 

C\  THOU,  whose  fringed  lids  I  g-aze  upon, 

^'^     Through  whose  dim  brain  the  winged  dreams 

are  borne, 
Unroof  the  shrines  of  clearest  vision, 

In  honor  of  the  silver  flecked  morn  ; 
Long  hath  the  white  wave  of  the  virgin  light 

Driven  back  the  billow  of  the  dreamful  dark. 
Thou  all  unwittingly  prolongest  night. 

Though  long  ago  listening  the  poised  lark. 
With  eyes  dropt  downward  through  the  blue  serene, 
Over  heaven's  parapet  the  angels  lean. 

— Alfred  Tennyson. 


^ijc  l^care  of  ti)c  i^ain. 

DE  still,  be  still,  tired  world,  and  go  to  sleep. 

The  dusk  is  growing  deep. 
Far  off  and  dim  beneath  the  shadowed  skies 
Long,  grassy  foot-hills  rise, 
And  fold  on  fold  above  their  shoulders  brown 
Gray  mists  are  closing  down, 

14a 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Drawn  low  and  wide  with  interweaving-  lines 

Beneath  the  purple  pines. 

Lower  and  lower  still  the  soft  clouds  creep 

(Be  still  and  go  to  sleep), 

Bj  pebbled  beach  and  poplars  trembling-  g-ray — 

Faint  now  and  far  away — 

Fold  after  fold,  vail  after  vail,  until 

They  blot  out  plain  and  hill 

As  temple  curtains  drawn  from  sky  to  sod 

To  shut  thee  in  with  God. 

Oh,  dearer  far  than  sun  on  hill  and  plain 

Peace  of  the  night  and  rain  ; 

Unto  earth's  weariness  most  sweet,  most  blest, 

Infinite  balm  of  rest. 

On  sky  and  stream  the  darkness  closes  deep. 

Be  still  and  go  to  sleep. 

— Mabel  Earle, 

In  Lippincotts    Magazine. 

[By  permission  of  the  Author]. 


H3 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


On  seeing  ray  wife  and  two  children  sleeping  in  the  same  chamber. 

A  ND  has  the  earth  lost  its  so  spacious  round, 

The  sky  its  blue  circumference  above, 
That  in  this  little  chamber  there  is  found 

Both  earth  and  heaven — my  universe  of  love  I 
All  that  my  God  can  give  me,  or  remove, 

Here  sleeping-,  save  myself,  in  mimic  death. 
Sweet  that  in  this  small  compass  I  behove 

To  live  their  living,  and  to  breathe  their  breath! 
Almost  I  wish  that,  with  one  common  sigh. 

We  might  resign  all  mundane  care  and  strife. 
And  seek  together  that  transcendent  sky. 
Where  Father,  Mother,  Children,  Husband,  Wife, 
Together  pant  in  everlasting  life. 

— Thomas  Hood. 

STo  a  dPrictttr  tof)o  \^%  Sl^pt  $IL 

LJOW  hast  thou  angered  into  stern  disdain 

That   mild  compassionate   god  round   whose 
bowed  head 
The  clustering  poppies  droop  their  drowsy  red — 

144 


AN    EXQUISITELY    QUAINT    EARLY    NORWEGIAN    BED.     MOST 
DISTINCTIVE   IN   EVERY   DETAIL 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Somnus,  that  walks  the  world  from  twilight's  wane 
All  the  long-  night  till  day  be  born  again, 
While  after  him  a  shadowy  legion  streams — 
The  pale  diaphanous  floating  forms  of  dreams  ? 

He  kisses  brows  that  ache  from  earthly  care  ; 

He  soothes  to  peace  the  indignant  souls  of  slaves  ; 

O'er  many  an  eye  grown  tired  he  waves 

Those  rich-dyed  languid  flowers  that  his  hands  bear; 

And  yet  for  thee  no  tender  spell  doth  spare, 

O,  Friend  that  liest  awake  and  hearest  night 

Flow  on  past  banks  of  time  in  stealthy  might. 

Ah,  would  that  I  who'm  loved  right  well  of  sleep, 
Might  make  fond  intercession,  friend,  for  thee, 
Each  night  when  some  shy  dream  should  visit  me. 
In  the  dusk  halls  of  slumber,  vague  and  deep  ; 
Both  the  dream's  dim  hands  would  I  seize  and  keep. 
Praying  with  her  to  speed  with  tender  charms, 
And  wreathe  about  my  neck  two  balmy  arms  ! 

— Edgar  Fawcett. 

[By  courtesy  of  Harper  &  Brothers.] 


145 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


^\)z  .Sleeping  l^cautg. 

"V/'EAR  after  year  unto  her  feet, 

She  lying*  on  her  couch  alone, 
Across  the  purpled  coverlet. 

The  maiden's  jet  black  hair  has  grown, 
On  either  side  her  tranced  form 

Forth  streaming  from  a  braid  of  pearl: 
The  slumberous  light  is  rich  and  warm, 

And  moves  not  on  the  rounded  curl. 

The  silk  star-broidered  coverlid 

Unto  her  limbs  itself  doth  mold 
Languidly  ever  ;  and  amid 

Her  full  black  ringlets  downward  roll'd, 
Glows  forth  each  softly-shadowed  arm 

With  bracelets  of  the  diamond  bright: 
Her  constant  beauty  doth  inform 

Stillness  with  love,  and  day  with  light. 

She  sleeps  ;  her  breathings  are  not  heard 
In  palace  chambers  far  apart. 

The  fragrant  tresses  are  not  stirred 
That  lie  upon  her  charmed  heart. 

146 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


She  sleeps  :  on  either  hand  upswells 
The  g-old-fring-ed  pillow  lig-htly  prest : 

She  sleeps,  nor  dreams,  but  ever  dwells 
A  perfect  form  in  perfect  rest. 

—Alfred  Tennyson. 


Sleep. 

r\  SLEEP,  we  are  beholden  to  thee  sleep. 

Thou  bearest  ang-els  to  us  in  the  nig-ht. 
Saints  out  of  heaven  with  palms.     Seen  by 

the  light 
Sorrow  is  some  old  tale  that  goeth  not  deep; 
Love  is  a  pouting  child. 


Sleep  in  the  world  to  come  how  strange  'twill  be 
Never  to  want,  never  to  wish  for  thee  ! 

— Jean  Ingelow. 


M7 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


COLEMNLY,  mournfully, 

Dealing-  its  dole, 
The  Curfew  Bell 
Is  beg-inning-  to  toll. 

Cover  the  embers 

And  put  out  the  light ; 

Toil  comes  with  the  morning 
And  rest  with  the  night. 

Dark  grow  the  windows, 
And  quenched  is  the  fire ; 

Sound  fades  into  silence, — 
All  footsteps  retire. 

No  voice  in  the  chambers, 
No  sound  in  the  hall  I 

Sleep  and  oblivion 
Reign  over  all ! 

—Longfellow. 

[By  permissioa  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.] 


148 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Sef)en  miai)  Scntrs  tf)e  (gift  of  Sleep. 

\A/HEN  Allah  sends  the  gift  of  sleep, 

The  stars  come  out  of  unknown  skies  ; 
The  moon  a  crescent  gloried  deep, 
Against  the  far  horizon  lies. 

The  earth  is  made  a  shadowy  place, 
And  strange  are  once  familiar  ways, 

With  haunting  likeness  of  the  grace 
That  crowned  the  radiant  yesterdays. 

Time  floats  his  barque  on  placid  streams, 

His  sickle  is  a  silver  wand 
That  wafts  the  pleasant  land  of  dreams 

From  out  the  drowsy  space  beyond. 

Beneath  the  folded  wings  of  day, 

Care  with  her  restless  brood,  would  creep, 

And  night's  spread  pinions  hold  calm  sway 
When  Allah  sends  the  gift  of  sleep. 

— Mary  A.  Mason. 

[Pennission  of  Harper  Sl  Brothers.] 


149 


l^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


insomnia. 

^HIN  are  tiie  night-skirts  left  behind 

By  daybreak  hours  that  onward  creep  ; 

And  thin,  alas  !  the  shred  of  sleep 
That  wavers  with  the  spirit's  wind: 
But  in  half-dreams  that  shift  and  roll 

And  still  remember  and  forg-et, 
My  soul  this  hour  has  drawn  your  soul 

A  little  nearer  yet. 

Our  lives,  most  dear,  are  never  near, 
Our  thoug-hts  are  never  far  apart, 
Though  all  that  draws  us  heart  to  heart 

Seems  fainter  now,  and  now  more  clear. 

To-night  Love  claims  his  full  control, 
And  with  desire  and  with  regret 

My  soul  this  hour  has  drawn  your  soul 
A  little  nearer  yet. 

Is  there  a  home  where  heavy  earth 

Melts  to  bright  air  that  breathes  no  pain, 
Where  water  leaves  no  thirst  again. 

And  springing  fire  is  Love's  new  birth  ? 


150 


OUD    OLD    SWISS    CHALET    BED — ALMOST    GOTHIC    IN    STYLE 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


If  faith  long-  bound  to  one  true  goal 

May  there  at  length  its  hope  beget, 

My  soul  that  hour  shall  draw  your  soul 
Forever  nearer  yet. 

— Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti. 


ilOtJC  asleep. 

\A/E  reached  the  grove's  deep  shadows  and  there 
^  ^       found 

Cythera's  son  in  sleep's  sweet  fetters  bound  ; 
Looking  like  ruddy  apples  on  their  tree  ; 
No  quiver  and  no  bended  bow  had  he  ; 
These  were  suspended  on  a  leafy  spray. 
Himself  in  cups  of  roses  cradled  lay, 
Smiling  in  sleep  ;  while  from  their  flight  in  air, 
The  brown  bees  to  his  soft  lips  made  repair, 
To  ply  their  waxen    task  and  leave   their  honey 

there. 

— Lord  Neaves. 

[From  "  Greek  Poets  in  English  Verse."  Permission. of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.] 


151 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sleep. 

C  LEEP  is  no  servant  of  the  will, 

It  has  caprices  of  its  own  ; 
When  most  pursued,  'tis  swiftly  g"one ; 
When  courted  least,  it  ling-ers  still. 
With  its  vag-aries  long*  perplexed, 
I  turned  and  turned  mj  restless  sconce, 
Till,  one  brig-ht  nig-ht,  I  thought  at  once 
I'd  master  it ; — so  hear  my  text  1 

When  sleep  will  tarry   I  beg-in 
My  long"  and  my  accustomed  prayer  ; 
And  in  a  twinkling-  sleep  is  there, 
Throug-h  my  old  curtains  peeping"  in  ; 
When  sleep  hang"s  heavy  on  my  eyes, 
I  think  of  debts  I  fain  would  pay  ; 
And  then,  as  flies  nig"ht's  shade  from  day, 
Sleep  from  my  heavy  eyelids  flies. 

And  thus  controlled,  the  wing"ed  one  bends 
E'en  his  fantastic  will  to  me  ; 
And,  strangle  yet  true,  both  I  and  he 
Are  friends, — the  very  best  of  friends  : 


152 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


We  are  a  happy,  wedded  pair, 
And  I  the  lord  and  he  the  dame  ; 
Our  bed,  our  board,  our  hours  the  same  ; 
And  we're  united  everywhere. 

I'll  tell  you  where  I  learned  to  school 
This  wayward  sleep  :  —  a  whispered  word 
From  a  church-g-oing-  hag"  I  heard, — 
And  tried  it, —  for  I  was  no  fool. 
So  from  that  very  hour  I  knew, 
That  having"  ready  prayers  to  pray. 
And  having"  many  debts  to  pay, 
Will  serve  for  sleep  and  waking-  too. 

— From  the  Spanish. 


Kigi)t  5ri)0ugi)t. 


p 


LACE  a  rose  near  thy  bed, 
Nig-htly  sentry  to  keep, 
And  angels  shall  rock  thee 
On  roses  to  sleep. 

— From  the  German. 


^S3 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sleep, 

/^H  !  thou  best  comforter  of  that  sad  heart 

^^^     Whom  Fortune's  spite  assails  ;  come,  g-entle 

Sleep, 
The  weary  mourner  soothe  !     For  well  the  art 
Thoug-h  knowest  in  soft  forg-etfulness  to  steep 
The  eyes  which  sorrow  taught  to  watch  and  weep ; 
Let  blissful  visions  now  her  spirits  cheer. 
Or  lull  her  cares  to  peace  in  slumbers  deep, 
'Till,  from  fatigue  refresh'd  and  anxious  fear, 
Hope,  like   the   morning-star,  once   more  shall 

reappear. 

— Mrs.  Tighe 


Sleep. 

CUBTLE  softness  soulward  stealing, 
Sleep  I  sweet  saviour,  still  serene, 
Silent,  soothing,  sorrow-sealing, 
Sombre  shadow,  sad,  severe. 

—Francis  Saltus  Saltus. 


154 


THE    WONDERFUL    GOTHIC    BED    SAID    TO    BELONG   TO    FOULQUE    NERRA 

COUNT    OF    ANJOU,    WHO    DIED    IN    II29,    BUT    PROBABLY 

MADE    200   YEARS    LATER 


SLUMBER    SONGS    AND     LULLABIES. 


Hullatg  on  an  Infant  Ci)ief. 

/^H,  hush  thee,  my  baby,  thy  sire  was  a  knight, 
Thy  mother  a  lady,  both  lovely  and  brig-ht ; 
The  woods  and  the  g-lens,  from  the  towers  we  see, 
They  all  are  belonging",  dear  baby,  to  thee. 

Oh,  fear  not  the  bugle,  though  loudly  it  blows, 
It  calls  but  the  warders  that  guard  thy  repose  ; 
Their  bows  would  be  bended,  their  blades  would  be 

red, 
Ere  the  step  of  a  foeman  draws  near  to  thy  bed. 

Oh,  hush  thee,  my  baby,  the  time  will  soon  come 
When  thy  sleep  shall  be  broken  by  trumpet  and 

drum  ; 
Then  hush  thee,  my  darling,  take  rest  while  you 

may, 
For  strife  comes  with  manhood,  and  waking  with 

daj. 

— Scott. 

'S5 


l^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


'T'HE  sun  is  weary,  for  he  ran 

So  far  and  fast  to-day  ; 
The  birds  are  weary,  for  who  sang- 

So  many  song's  as  they  ? 
The  bees  and  butterflies  at  last 

Are  tired  out,  for  just  think,  too. 
How  many  gardens  through  the  day 

Their  little  wings  have  fluttered  through. 
And  so,  as  all  tired  people  do, 
They've  gone  to  lay  their  sleepy  heads 
Deep,  deep  in  warm  and  happy  beds. 
The  sun  has  shut  his  golden  eye 
And  gone  to  sleep  beneath  the  sky, 
The  birds  and  butterflies  and  bees 
Have  all  crept  into  flowers  and  trees, 
And  all  lie  quiet,  still  as  mice, 
Till  morning  comes — like  father's  voice. 

So  Geoffrey,  Owen,  Phyllis,  you 
Must  sleep  away  till  morning  too. 
Close  little  eyes,  down  little  heads. 
And  sleep — sleep — sleep  in  happy  beds. 

Richard  Le  Gallienne. 


156 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


(VERSLETS    A    MON    PREMIER    NE.) 

C  WEET  babe  !  true  portrait  of  thy  father's  face, 
Sleep  on  the  bosom  that  thy  lips  have  pressed. 
Sleep,  little  one  ;  and  closely,  g-ently  place 
Thy  drowsy  eyelid  on  thy  mother's  breast. 

Upon  that  tender  eye,  my  little  friend. 

Soft  sleep  shall  come,  that  cometh  not  to  me  ! 

I  watch  to  see  thee,  nourish  thee,  defend  ; 
'Tis  sweet  to  watch  for  thee,  alone  for  thee ! 

His  arms  fall  down  ;  sleep  sits  upon  his  brow  ; 

His  eye  is  closed  ;  he  sleeps,  nor  dreams  of  harm. 
Wore  not  his  cheek  the  apple's  ruddy  g'low, 

Would  you  not  say  he  slept  on  Death's  cold  arm  ? 

Sweet  error  !  he  but  slept,  I  breathe  again  ; 

Come,  gentle  dreams,  the  hours  of  sleep  beguile  ! 
O,  when  shall  he,  for  whom  I  sigh  in  vain, 

Beside  me  watch  to  see  thy  waking  smile  ? 

— Translation  of  Longfellow. 
From  the  French  of  Clotilde  de  Surville. 

[By  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.] 

157 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


I 


KNOW  a  man 
With  face  of  tan, 
But  who  is  ever  kind  ; 
Whom  g"irls  and  boys 
Leave  games  and  toys 
Each  eventide  to  find. 

When  day  grows  dim, 

They  watch  for  him. 
He  comes  to  place  his  claim ; 

He  wears  the  crown 

Of  Dreaming-  town  ; 
The  Sandman  is  his  name. 

When  sparkling-  eyes 

Droop  sleepywise 
And  busy  lips  grow  dumb  ; 

When  little  heads 

Nod  toward  the  beds, 
We  know  the  Sandman's  come. 

— Chicago  Daily  News, 


158 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


LJUSH  I  my  dear,  lie  still  and  slumber ; 

Holy  ang-els  g-uard  thy  bed  ! 
Heavenly  blessing's  without  number 
Gently  falling-  on  thy  head. 

Soft  and  easy  is  thy  cradle ; 

Coarse  and  hard  thy  Saviour  lay  : 
When  his  birthplace  was  a  stable, 

And  his  softest  bed  was  hay. 

See  the  kindly  shepherds  round  him, 

Telling  wonders  from  the  sky  ! 
Where  they  sought  him,  there  they  found  him 

With  his  Virgin  Mother  by. 

Mayst  thou  live  to  know  and  fear  him, 
Trust  and  love  him  all  thy  days  : 

Then  g"o  dwell  forever  near  him  ; 
See  his  face  and  sing  his  praise. 

I  could  give  thee  thousand  kisses, 

Hoping"  what  I  most  desire  : 

Not  a  mother's  fondest  wishes 

Can  to  greater  joys  aspire. 

— Isaac  Watts. 

^S9 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


a  iimoti)cr*s  Song. 

/^H,  come  now,  mj  darling, 

And  lie  on  my  breast, 
For  that's  the  soft  pillow 

My  baby  loves  best : 
Peace  rests  on  thine  eyelids. 

As  sweetly  they  close. 
And  thoughts  of  to-morrow 

Ne'er  break  thy  repose. 
What  dreams  in  thy  slumber, 

Dear  baby,  are  thine  ? 
Thy  sweet  lips  are  smiling-, 

When  pressed  thus  to  mine. 
All  lovely  and  guileless 

Thou  sleepest  in  joy. 
And  Heaven  watches  over  my  beautiful  boy. 

Oh,  would  thus  that  ever 
My  darling-  might  smile. 

And  still  be  a  baby 
My  grief  to  beguile  ; 

But  hope  whispers  sweetly, 
"Ne'er  broken  shall  be 

The  tie  that  unites  my  sweet  baby  to  me. " 

— Alexander  Smart. 


1 60 


A  FRENCH  "LIT  DE  REPOSE "  OF  THE  i8TH  CENTURY  ARRANGED 
WITH  TRUNDLE  OR  "  PULL  OUT"  FOR  THEIR  "COUCHEE" 

(bed  reception) 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


StDCCt  anti  ILoU). 

C  WEET  and  low,  sweet  and  low, 

Wind  of  the  summer  sea  ; 
Low,  low,  breathe  and  blow, 

Wind  of  the  western  sea  ! 
Over  the  rolling-  waters  g-o. 
Come  from  the  dying-  moon,  and  blow, 
Blow  him  again  to  me  ; 
While  my  little  one. 
While  my  pretty  one, 
Sleeps. 

Sleep  and  rest,  sleep  and  rest ; 

Father  will  come  to  thee  soon. 
Rest,  rest  on  mother's  breast ; 

Father  will  come  to  thee  soon. 
Father  v/ill  come  to  his  babe  in  the  nest, — 
Silver  sails  all  out  of  the  west 
Under  the  silver  moon  ! 
Sleep,  my  little  one  ; 
Sleep  my  pretty  one, 
Sleep. 

— Tennyson. 


i6i 


l^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Cljc  Castles  of  JBrotDSg  Coton. 

A  WAY  in  the  castles  of  Drowsy  Town 

The  lights  are  twinkling  high, 
The  fays  are  pulling  the  curtains  down 
And  the  winds  are  wandering  by. 

The  Giant  Night  in  his  robe  of  dusk 

Is  coming  over  the  hills, 
Bringing  an  odor  of  rose  and  musk 

And  a  ripple  of  distant  rills. 

This  black  man  is  as  high  as  the  sky, 
And  his  eyes  shoot  starry  gleams, 

And  his  pockets  are  ready  to  burst,  well  nigh. 
With  bundles  of  children's  dreams. 

He  moves  with  a  soft  mysterious  tread, 
Thro'  the  scented  dusk  and  damp, 

And  he  carries  the  moon  upon  his  head, 
As  a  miner  carries  a  lamp. 

And  straight  for  my  little  ones  cometh  he 
When  twilight  is  dropping  down. 

And  bears  them  swiftly  away  from  me 
To  the  borders  of  Drowsy  Town. 

162 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Oh  !  the  gates  are  open  on  ev'ry  side, 
And  the  children  are  trooping-  in, 

With  dainty  cap  strings  cunningly  tied 
Right  under  each  dimpled  chin. 

And  the  fairies  gently  tuck  them  away, 
In  hammocks  of  lilies  and  down, 

And  there  they  sleepily  swing  and  sway, 
In  mystical  Drowsy  Town. 

Then  the  Giant  Night  in  his  robe  of  grey, 

Departs  for  a  scene  of  mirth, 
Where  brown  little  Chinese  children  play, 

On  the  other  side  of  the  earth. 

So  farewell  to  the  castles  of  Drowsy  Town, 
And  farewell  to  each  winsome  fay, 

By  heath  and  hill,  by  dale  and  down 
The  children  are  hasting  away. 

— Carrie  Shaw  Rice. 

[By  permission  of  the  Author.] 


163 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


■\  A /"HEN  the  voices  of  children  are  heard  on  the 
green, 

And  laug-hing  is  heard  on  the  hill, 
My  heart  is  at  rest  within  my  breast, 

And  everything  else  is  still. 
Then   come   home,  my  children,  the  sun  is  gone 
down, 

And  the  dews  of  night  arise  ; 
Come,  come,  leave  off  play,  and  let  us  away 

Till  the  morning  appears  in  the  skies. 

"No,  no,  let  us  play,  for  it  is  yet  day, 

And  we  cannot  go  to  sleep  ; 
Besides,  in  the  sky  the  little  birds  fi}', 

And  the  hills  are  covered  with  sheep." 
Well,  well,  go  and  play  till  the  light  fades  away, 

And  then  go  home  to  bed, — 
The  little  one's  leap'd,  and  shouted,  and  laugh'd — 

And  all  the  hills  echoed. 

— William  Blake. 


164 


ANCIENT    IMPERIAL   CHINESE   BED,    CARVED    AND    LACQUERED,    SENT    BY 

THAT   GOVERNMENT   TO   THE   LAST   PARIS   EXPOSITION   AND 

RETURNED    TO    PEKIN 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


'HpHE  sun  has  gone  from  the  shining-  skies, 

Bye,  baby,  bye, 
The  dandelions  have  closed  their  eyes, 

Bye,  baby,  bye. 
And  the  stars  are  lighting  their  lamps  to  see 
If  the  babies  and  squirrels  and  birds  all  three 
Are  fast  asleep  as  they  ought  to  be  ; — 

Bye,  baby,  bye. 

The  squirrel's  nest  is  a  hole  in  the  tree, 

Bye,  baby,  bye, 
And  there  he  sleeps  as  snug  as  can  be, 

Bye,  baby,  bye. 
The  robin's  nest  is  high  overhead 
Where  the  leafy  boughs  of  the  maple  spread, 
But  the  baby's  nest  is  a  white  little  bed  : — 

Bye,  baby,  bye. 

— Anonymous. 


.6j 


The  Witchery  of  Sleejh 


(IRISH    CRADI^E    SONG.) 

I'LL  put  you  myself,  my  baby  !  to  slumber, 
Not  as  is  done  by  the  clownish  number, 
A  yellow  blanket  and  coarse  sheet  bring-ing, 
But  in  g-olden  cradle  that's  softly  swinging- — 
To  and  fro,  lulla  lo, 

To  and  fro,  my  bonny  baby  ! 
To  and  fro,  lulla  lo, 

To  and  fro,  my  bonny  baby  ! 

Slumber,  my  babe  !  may  the  sweet  sleep  woo  you, 
And  from  your  slumbers  may  health  come  to  you  ! 
May  bright  dreams  come  and  come  no  other, 
And  T  1)e  never  a  childless  mother  — 
To  and  fro,  lulla  lo, 

To  and  fro,  my  bonny  baby. 
To  and  fro,  lulla  lo, 

To  and  fro,  my  own  sweet  baby. 


i66 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


**  Sleep,  iSabg,  Sleep." 

C  LEEP,  baby,  sleep  ! 

Thy  father  watches  the  sheep, 
Thy  mother  is  shaking-  the  dreamland  tree, 
And  down  drops  a  little  dream  for  thee. 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep  ! 

The  larg-e  stars  are  the  sheep, 
The  little  stars  are  the  lambs,  I  g-uess 
The  brig-ht  moon  is  the  shepherdess, 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

— From  the  German. 
By  Elizabeth  Prentiss. 


167 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


npOYS,  and  treats,  and  pleasures  pass, 

Like  a  shadow  in  the  g"lass, 
Like  the  smoke  that  mounts  on  hig-h, 
Like  a  noonday's  butterfly. 

Mother,  fold  me  to  your  knees  I 
How  much  should  I  care  for  these 
Little  joys  that  come  and  g-o 
If  you  did  not  love  me  so  ? 

Father,  now  my  prayer  is  said. 
Lay  your  hand  upon  my  head  ! 
Pleasures  pass  from  day  to  day, 
But  I  know  that  love  will  stay. 

While  I  sleep  it  will  be  near  ; 
I  shall  wake  and  find  it  here  ; 
I  shall  feel  it  in  the  air, 
When  I  say  my  morning  prayer. 

And  when  things  are  sad  or  wrong- ; 
Then  I  know  that  love  is  strong  ; 
When  I  ache,  or  when  I  weep. 
Then  I  know  that  love  is  deep. 


168 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Love  is  old  and  love  is  new, 
You  love  me  and  I  love  you  ; 
And  the  Lord  who  made  it  thus, 
Did  it  in  his  love  for  us. 


— William  Bkighty  Rand. 


169 


T^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


D  EST,  dear  one,  in  slumber  light  ; 
Daylig-ht  now  is  slowly  dying-, 
And  the  wind  is  softly  sighing, 

Bringing  dreams  so  sweet  and  bright. 
Good  night,  good  night. 

May  thy  heart  forget  its  pain 

All  its  sighs  and  troubled  longing, 
All  the  cares  around  it  thronging, 

Till  it  rests  in  peace  again. 
Good  night,  good  night 

Rest  until  the  dawning  day 

Bids  thee  rise,  new  courage  bringing  ; 

And  thy  heart  in  praise  is  singing  ; 
Fear  not,  God  will  watch  alway. 

Good-night,  good-night. 

—  Alice  Locke  Pitman. 


170 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


npHE  moonbeams  throug-h  the  window  peep, 

To  see  if  babe 's  in  bed  ; 
My  precious  darling-  go  to  sleep, 

He  '11  watch  keep  o'er  thy  head. 
Sleep,  darling-  baby,  sleep. 

He  watch  o'er  thee  will  keep. 

The  brook  is  murmuring-  soft  and  low, 

Dew  falls  on  hill  and  deep  ; 
The  birds  to  rest  went  long  ago. 

My  precious  darling,  sleep. 

The  heather  bells  all  faintly  sound, 

As  moonbeams  o'er  them  sweep  ; 
The  shadows  nearer  creep  around, 

My  darling-  go  to  sleep. 
May  baby's  dream  be  bright, 

Sleep  on  till  morning's  light, 
Good  night,  good  night. 

— From  the  Cerman. 
Translated  by  John  P.  Jackson. 


171 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


C  LEEP,  my  little  dearest  one, 

I  will  g-uard  thy  sleep, 
Safely  little  nearest  one, 
I  will  hold  thee  deep 
In  the  g-reat  unfathomed  sea, 
Where  sweet  dreams  are  made  for  thee. 

Rest,  my  little  baby  dear, 

I  will  watch  thy  rest, 
Thou  shalt  feel  the  waters  near, 
Only  on  my  breast ; 
In  the  strong-  and  tender  tide, 
Still  my  love  shall  be  thy  guide. 

— Dolly  Radford. 


\A/HEN  the  sleepy  man  comes  with  the  dust  on 
his  eyes 

(Oh,  weary,  my  Dearie,  so  weary  !) 
He  shuts  up  the  earth,  and  he  opens  the  skies. 

(So  hush-a-by,  weary,  my  Dearie.) 

172 


THE   BEST    POSSIBLE    EXAMPLE    OF    THE    EARLY    COLONIAL    HIGH    POST 
BED,    BEING   THE    ORIGINAL    "VIRGINIA"    BEDSTEAD  OF 
MARY    WASHINGTON 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


He  smiles  through  hisfing-ers,  and  shuts  up  the  sun ; 

(Oh,  weary,  my  Dearie,  so  weary  !) 
The  stars  that  he  loves  he  lets  out  one  by  one. 

(So  hush- a- by,  weary,  my  Dearie  !) 

He  comes  from  the  castles  of  Drowsy-boy  Town ; 

(Oh,  weary,  my  Dearie,  so  weary  !) 
At  the  touch  of  his  hand  the  tired  eyelids  fall  down. 

(So  hush-a-by,  weary,  my  Dearie  !) 

He  comes  with  a  murmur  of  dreams  in  his  wings 

(Oh,  weary,  my  Dearie,  so  weary  !) 
And  whispers  of  mermaids  and  wonderful  things. 

(So  hush-a-by,  weary,  my  Dearie  !) 

Then  the  top  is  a  burden,  the  bugle  a  bane 

(Oh,  weary,  my  Dearie,  so  weary  !) 
When  one  would  be  faring  down  Dream-away  Lane. 

(So  hush-a-by,  weary,  my  Dearie  !) 

— Charles  G.  D.  Roberts. 

[From  Poems  by  the  Author.     By  permission  of  the  Author  and  his  publishers, 
L.  C.  Page  &  Co.] 


173 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


ittratilc  Song. 

J    ULLABY,  lullaby, 

Baby  must  sleep  ; — 
Now  when  the  daylig-ht  dies, 
Closed  be  the  little  eyes  ; 
Rest  till  the  sun  arise ; 
Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

Lullaby,  lullaby, 

Baby  must  sleep  ; — 
Peaceful  shall  rest  thy  head  ; 
Noiseless  shall  be  the  tread 
Round  our  dear  darling-'s  bed, — 

Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

— Samuel  Burnham. 


174 


Poetry  of  Sleep 


Slumtcr  Song. 

I    ITTLE  eyes  were  made  for  sleeping, 

Little  heads  were  made  for  rest, 
Golden  locks  were  made  for  keeping- 
Close  to  mother's  breast. 

Little  hands  were  made  for  folding-, 

Little  lips  should  never  sigh  ; 
What  dear  Mother's  arms  are  holding 

Love  alone  can  buy. 

Gently  fall  the  shadows  gray, 

Daylight  softly,  softly  veiling, 
Now  to  dreamland  we'll  away, — 

Sailing,  sailing,  sailing. 

— Arthur  Macy. 


«75 


ANCIENT   GOTHIC   BEDSTEAD   WITH   A   RARELY 
FOUND   ARCHED   HOOD. 


A   REVIEW  OF   SLEEP. 

LEEP  is  the  period  when  an  animal 
most  resembles  a  vegetable  in  its 
functions  of  nutrition.  In  sleep  an 
animal  is  mainly  a  constructive  ma- 
chine, reproducing  all  the  parts  which  have  been 
wasted  during  the  day,  and  storing  up  force  for 
use  during  the  hours  of  wakefulness. 

The  "  morning  hour,"  says  a  German  pro- 
verb, "  has  gold  in  its  mouth," 

Voltaire  says :  "  Whatever  theory  you  adopt, 
whatever  vain  efforts  you  make  to  prove  that 
your  memory  moves  your  brain,  and  that  your 
brain  moves  your  soul,  you  are  obliged  to  admit 
that  all  your  ideas  come  to  you  in  sleep,  indepen- 
dently of  you  and  in  spite  of  you — your  will  has 
no  part  in  them  whatever.  It  is  certain  that  you 
may  think  seven  or  eight  hours  consecutively 
without  having  the  least  desire  to  think,  without 
even  being  aware  that  you  think." 

"  It  is  while  sleep  steals  gently  o'er  us" —  in 

177 


A  simile 


Voliaire 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The  man 
of  Con- 
naught 


the  midway  station  or  the  half-way  house  between 
wide-awake  activity  and  complete  oblivion — that 
one  is  most  apt,  in  benignant  stupidity,  to  echo 
Sancho's  blessing.  Hence  we  can  feelingly  sym- 
pathize with  the  Connaught  man  who,  with  very 
intelligible  irritation,  complained  that  for  his  part 
he  found  no  kind  of  pleasure  in  his  bed  ;  for  the 
moment  he  was  in  it  he  was  asleep,  and  the 
moment  he  awoke  it  was  time  to  get  up.  The 
poor  fellow  was  cruelly  mulcted — thanks  to  his 
robust  health  and  unjarred  nervous  system — of 
the  agreeable  train  of  sensations  incident  to  sleep's 
incipient  stage. 

Twelve  hundred  millions  of  dreams  make  a 
network  of  wild  fancies  nightly  about  our  planet. 
To  go — if  it  were  possible — through  the  world  of 
sleep,  would  be  a  stranger  process  than  that  of 
exploring  the  whole  waking  world  ;  for  in  sleep 
every  living  being  is  a  poet,  from  the  baby  that 
clings  in  its  dreams  to  the  breasts  of  goddesses,  to 
the  centenarian  who,  with  staff  and  spectacles, 
hobbles  about  Paradise  at  the  beck  of  seraphs. 

Sleeping  and  waking  are  the  great  phenomena 
of  our  existence. 


Fancies 


178 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Spiritual 


What  is  done  and  thought  in  the  everyday- 
working  world,  where  the  ordinary  business  of 
life  is  carried  on,  no  living  creature  has  ever  fully 
revealed  to  another.  There  are  reticences  in  the 
confession  of  the  most  frank,  things  which  cannot 
and  therefore  never  will  be  spoken — thoughts 
which  transcend  the  limits  of  language — hopes 
so  highly  placed,  the  power  of  no  fairy  could 
satisfy,  and  fears  so  horrible  that  even  Lucifer 
himself  would  fail  to  exaggerate. 

If  this  portion  of  our  life,  which  is  at  least 
subject  to  our  own  observation,  cannot  be  faith- 
fully and  fully  described,  still  less  can  that  other 
portion,  which  defies  even  our  own  scrutiny,  con- 
verts us  into  mere  spectators  of  ourselves,  sets 
free  our  actions  from  the  control  of  our  will, 
and  transforms  us  into  so  many  passive  spokes  destiny 
in  the  great  wheel  of  destiny. 

Whatever  may  be  the  laws  by  which  it  is 
regulated,  sleep  presents  the  counterpart  of  the 
working  world — distorted,  mutilated,  thrown  into 
irredeemable  confusion  by  the  mighty  force  of 
one's  own  imagination. 


The  wheel 
of 


— Anonymous. 


179 


HYGIENE  OF  SLEEP. 


Some 
hints 

of 
import 


EPARATE  beds,  one  for  each  per- 
son, are  requisite.     Double  beds  are 
an    abomination.       Personal    contact, 
\  Interrupts  the  function  of  sleep. 

2.  Where   two  are  obliged  to  sleep  in  one 
room,  two  beds  are  an  absolute  necessity. 

3.  Bedrooms  occupied  by  two  persons  should 
be  large  and  well  ventilated. 

4.  To  secure  fresh  air ;  open  windows,  both 
top  and  bottom — winter  and  summer. 

5.  Good  deep  breathing  means   a   profound 
healthy  sleep.     This  requires  plenty  of  air. 

6.  Avoid  direct  draughts,  no  matter  how  hot 
the  weather.     Proper  protection  is  necessary. 

7.  Lie   low ;    expand   the    chest.     Use  one 
pillow  only.     Children  need  no  pillow. 

8.  Relax.      Lie   on  the   right  side.     If  un- 
usual, "  night  school  "  yourself  by  practice. 

9.  Discard   all   under   clothes    worn    during 
the  day. 

180 


ENGLISH    CARVED    OAK    BED    THAT    BELONGED    TO    THE    DUCHESS    OF    KENT 
THE    MOTHER    OF    QUEEN    VICTORIA.       PROBABLY    ABOUT    1500 


^he  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Well 
worth 


10.  Have  as  little  furniture  or  hangings  as 
possible  in  the  sleeping  room. 

11.  Wood  floors  with  small  rugs  are  much 
preferable  to  carpets. 

12.  Metal  bedsteads  are  better  than  wood. 

13.  Springs  of  woven  wire,  or,  better  still, 
evenly  upholstered  spirals  are  the  proper  thing. 

14.  That  real  sleep-aid,  the  mattress,  should 
be  pure,  non-heating,  and  not  animal  fibre.  attention 

15.  Hair  and  feathers  are  too  heating,  un- 
clean, and  dangerous  to  health. 

16.  No  light  should  burn  in  a  bedroom, 
and  all  outside  light  should  be  excluded. 

17.  Heat  is  not  needed  while  sleeping.  If 
any  is  used,  a  grate  fire  is  the  best ;  it  helps  to 
make  ventilation. 

18.  Doors  should  not  be  locked,  except  in 
cases  of  extreme  danger. 

19.  Sun  and  air  mattress,  sheets  and  bed- 
clothing  daily. 

20.  Personal  hygiene  requires  a  tepid  bath 
before  retiring,  and  a  good  cold  bath  or  plunge 
upon  arising. 


i«i 


BLACK   OAK    BED   MADE   FROM   AN   OLD    STAIRCASE   AND 
WAINSCOT    FOUND    IN    AN    ENGLISH    CASTLE 


HOW  ROYALTY  SLEEPS. 

HEN  It  comes  to  sleeping,  there  is 
no  difference  between  him  who  wears 
a  crown  and  an  ordinary  human  being 
with  but  a  weary  head. 

*'  E'en  monarchs  in  their  nightcaps  own 
A  bed  is  better  than  a  throne 

—  That's  made  to  sit  and  sigh  on, — 
And  well  may  all  the  world  agree, 
The  poorest  of  the  poor  is  he 

Who  has  no  bed  to  lie  on." 

Emperor  William  is  a  soldier  even  while  he 
sleeps.  He  uses  a  regulation  camp  bed  such  as 
his  officers  use.  The  bedclothing  is  of  the  rough 
regimental  pattern.  He  retires  about  eleven  ;  rises 
and  is  dressed  soon  after  five. 

The  Czar  of  Russia  has  great  difficulty  in  ob-      The  sleep 
taining  a  good  night's  rest.    He  is  not  what  old-  ^^ 

fashioned  people  call,  "a  lover  of  the  bed."  He 
dreads  the  night.  His  sleeping  apartments  are 
always  brilliantly  lighted.  He  often  suffers  from 
insomnia  and  makes  frequent  use  of  chloral. 

183 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


An  old 
kinz 


Queen  Wilhelmina  goes  to  bed  about  eleven 

and  is  up  at  seven.    After  rising  she  takes  a  stroll 

young       around  the  park  and  visits  the  royal  stables.   Her 

bedstead  is   of  monumental   size,  broad   enough 

for  six  and  proportionately  deep. 

Leopold  III.,  King  of  the  Belgians,  is  an  owl. 
Owing  to  his  age  he  sleeps  but  meagerly  and  often 
spends  half  the  night  seeking  amusement.  He 
uses  an  ordinary  bedstead  without  other  luxury 
than  a  quilt  of  swan's  down.  He  is  a  very 
"  chilly"  mortal. 

The  King  of  Italy  cannot  sleep  except  upon 
a  hard  bed.  He  dispenses  with  pillows ;  uses 
sheets  of  the  very  coarsest,  and  "  sleeps  like  a  top." 

The  young  King  of  Spain  before  he  attained 
to  the  throne  was  a  natural  boy-sleeper.  Wild 
^  ^''y  horses  could  n't  drag  him  out  of  bed  before  he 

was  ready  to  arise.  New  authority  has  made  him 
a  restless  being.  It  is  whispered  that  he  now 
tosses  in  his  bed,  talks  in  his  sleep,  inspecting 
imaginary  armies  and  fleets.  He  is  also  given  to 
concocting  ideas  to  startle  his  subjects.  When  he 
awakes  he  is  peevish,  whimsical,  eccentric  and 
decidedly  domineering. 


kin 


184 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The  King  of  England  is  now  a  good  sleeper. 
He  has  no  fads,  but  sleeps  according  to  the 
dictates  of  the  royal  physician,  which  are  :  fresh 
air,  not  too  soft  a  mattress  or  too   high   a  pillow,      . 

'  o  t  '       A  new 

and  long  hours  in   bed.      Late  hours  are  practi-     king 
cally  a  thing  of  the  past  with  Albert  Edward. 

The  Emperor  of  China  is  a  "sleepy  head." 
He  puts  in  about  twelve  hours  in  the  royal 
chamber ;  five  hours  in  sleep  and  five  dreaming — 
wondering — what    will    happen    next.       But    the      . 

o  r  r  In  name 

Empress,  "  there  's  the  rub," —  she   sleeps   with     only 
"one  eye  open"  and  the  other  on  a  squint. 

The  Mikado  of  Japan  is  a  short,  light  sleeper. 
His  hours  for  slumber  are  from  midnight  to 
seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  At  that  hour  he 
arises,  hurries  a  light  breakfast  into  him,  then 
calls  for  his  cabinet,  which  he  keeps  on  the  trot 
until  late  into  the  night. 

King    Oscar    of    Sweden    is    another   "  wide- 
awake."     He  is  interested  in  everything  pertain-      The 
ing  to    the  welfare  of  his  subjects   all  day.      He    /"''' 
sits  up  late,  devoting  the  hours  of  night  to  intel- 
lectual society,  reading,  study  and  writing — for  he 
is  a  writer  of  graceful  prose  and  poetry. 

185 


ROMAN    COUCH    BED,    SHOWING    LACED-IN    CUSHION 


1 

1 

..   •'^ .■-.     «^II 

MECHANICAL  SLEEP. 

HINGS    employed    to    induce    sleep 
have  been  many,  although  mechanical 
aids  are  comparatively  new,  and  their 
permanent  effectiveness  has  yet  to  be 
fully  proven.  A  remarkable  electric  sleep-producer 
was  devised  some  years  ago  by  the  late  Surgeon 
General   Hammond  of  the  United  States  Army.     Electric 
It  consisted  of  a  battery  cell,  whose  electrodes  he     sleep 
applied  to  certain  sympathetic  nerves  along    the     '"^^^ 
spinal  column,  with  more  or  less  temporary  success. 

Recently  European  psychologists  have  assert- 
ed that  sleep  in  the  near  future  will  be  obtainable 
by  the  use  of  mechanical  apparatus,  instead  of 
drugs.  That 's  worth  attention.  Anything  is 
that  replaces  that  which  soon  becomes  a  habit  so 
dangerous  and  blighting  in  its  effects. 

There  are  several  most  novel  sleep-producing 
machines  now  entering  the  market.  Among  these     vU'ratiug 
is   the   "Vibrating   Coronet,"   just    invented    by 
Dr.  Gaiffe  of  Paris.     It  is  made  of  three  bands 

187 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


of  metal  encircling  the  head.  A  branch  strip 
extends  to  either  of  the  eyelids,  which,  by  the  aid 
of  a  spring,  it  gently  vibrates. 

This  instrument,  also  the  Alouette,  is  used 
on  his  patients  by  the  celebrated   Dr.  Berillon  of 
The  Paris  with  some  success. 

Aiouetu  yj^g    "Alouette,"   by  Mathieu  of  Paris,    has 

been  used  in  several  European  cities.  It  is  a 
mahogany  box,  inside  of  which  is  a  clock-work 
carrying  a  series  of  ebony  panels  to  which  are 
attached  little  mirrors.  With  the  aid  of  a  small 
ray  of  light  falling  on  these  mirrors  the  eye  of  the 
patient  is  soon  fatigued  and  sleep  it  is  claimed,  in 
consequence,  ensues. 

Another  device  is  a  miniature  lighthouse,  the 
light  from  which  alternately  appears  and  dis- 
appears, like  the  flashlight  that  guides  mariners 
along  our  seacoast. 

Quite  a  different  kind  is  the  "  Fascinator."   It 
j,j^^  is  manufactured  by  Verdin,  an  instrument  maker 

Fascinator    in  PaHs.     It  is  a  helmet  similar  in  appearance  to 
the  "Vibrating  Coronet." 

When  adjusted  to  the  head  it  is  tied  by  two 
straps  meeting  in  the  rear.     A  steel   plate   rests 

i88 


SIMPLE    "EMPIRE"    HIGH    POST    BED    WITH    "  FIELD  -    TESTER 
BROUGHT    TO    NEW    ORLEANS    IN    EARLY .  DAYS 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


horizontally  across  the  forehead.   From  the  center 

of  this  plate  protrudes  a  small  tube  of  steel,  into 

whose  end  is  inserted  a  flexible  wire,  tipped  with 

a   glistening    nickeled    ball   about   the   size   of  a 

grape.    By  bending  the  wire  the  ball  may  be  fixed 

at  any  angle  above  the  eye.     The  gaze  is  concen-     suep 

trated  upon  it  until  fatigue  alone  closes  the  eyes     i^>'<'"s^ 

i  o  •'  seeing  too 

in  sleep.  much 

All  of  these  sleep  machines  aim  at  the  same 
result.  They  are  based  on  the  theory  that  any 
stimulus  which  fatigues  the  eyelids  will  induce 
drowsiness.  Such  fatigue  is  experienced  by  many 
who  cannot  long  observe  rapidly  shifting  pano- 
rama of  scenery  from  the  window  of  a  train  in 
motion  without  drowsily  falling  asleep. 


""  I   I  i.i.ii  .-III  I II    "''\''''^'  '  ^^^y 


EARLY  EGYPTIAN   BED. 

189 


AN  INSPIRED  SLEEPER. 


spiritu- 
ality 


HE  Swedenborgian  religion  was  born 

of  a  sleep, —  the  sleeper  and  dreamer 

Emanuel  Swedenborg.     It  was   Swe- 

denborg,  by  the  way,  who  made  the 

beautiful  remark : 

"  The  Lord  is  particularly  watchful  over  man 
during  sleep." 

Swedenborg  was  born  in  Stockholm,  July  29, 
1688,  and  died  in  London,  March  29,  1772.  The 
early  part  of  his  life  was  devoted  to  business, 
science  and  philosophy ;  the  latter  half— about 
thirty-six  years — was  consecrated  to  theology  and 
spiritualism. 

During  this  period  he  resolved  to  penetrate 
the  body  through  its  inmost  recess,  to  the  very 
seat  of  the  soul.  This  line  of  thought  developed 
into  a  diary,  containing  the  record  of  a  variety  of 
dreams,  visions  and  strange  communings.  Out 
of  these  grew  the  reHgion  of  Swedenborg  and  the 
development  of  the  faith. 


190 


"POOR  RICHARD" 


AYS  : — How  much  more  time  than  is 
necessary  do  we  spend  in   sleep  !   for- 
getting that — The  sleeping  fox  catches 
no  poultry,  and  that — 
There  will  be  sleeping  enough  in  the  grave. 
If  time  be  of  all  things  the  most  precious, — 
Wasting  of  time  must  be  the  greatest  prodi- 
gality. 

Lost  time  can  never  be  found  again. 
What   we   call    time    enough !    always    proves 
little  enough. 

Let  us  then  be  up  and  doing  to  the  purpose. 
So  by  diligence  shall  we  do  more  with  less  per- 
plexity. 

Sloth  makes  all  things  difficult.  Industry  all 
things  easy. 

He  that  riseth  late  must  trot  all  day,  and  shall 
scarce  overtake  his  business  at  night. 
"  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise 
Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy  and  wise." 

Benjamin  Franklin. 


The 
sayings 

of 

Poor 

Richard 


191 


ITALIAN   CRADLE   OV   THE   SIXTEENTH   CENTURY 


A  SYMPOSIUM  OF   SLEEP. 


A  COLLECTION   OK   SLEEP   THOUGHTS  AND    EXPRESSIONS    ESPECIALLY 
CONTRIBUTED    TO    "THE   WITCHERY    OF    SLEEP." 


BELIEVE  with  Homer  that  "sleep 
is  the  gift  of  God."  Regular  and  com- 
fortable sleep,  and  enough  of  it,  is 
essential  to  sound  health,  long  life  and 
a  creditable  life-work.  The  race  of  the  twentieth 
century  can  be  won  only  by  those  who  keep  D'- 
their  bodies  in  such  good  condition  that  their 
minds  will  be  able  to  stand  the  pressure  of  an  '' Success' 
intense  civilization. 

In  all  modern  occupations, — from  the  nursery 
to  the  school,  from  the  school  to  the  shop  or 
world  beyond, — the  brain  and  nerve  strain  go  on, 
continuous,  augmenting,  intensifying.  We  must 
have  plenty  of  sleep,  the  great  body  and  mind 
builder,  to  counteract  the  strain,  in  order  to  sus- 
tain the  daily  physical  and  mental  demands  made 
upon  them. 

^9Z 


"The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


I   believe  that  the  average   normal  man  and 

woman    reqinre    eight    hours    sleep    out     of    the 

twenty-four,  and  I  think  the  triple  division  of  the 

day  and   night  into  eight  hours  for  work,  eight 

hours  for  culture  and  recreation,  and  eight  hours 

for  sleep  is  a  good  one. 

— Orison  Sweet  Marden. 

One  of  the  greatest  mercies,  that  more  than 
any  other  we  are  likely  to  forget,  is  the  power 
to  be  unconscious  eight  hours  out  of  the  twenty- 
four,  so  that  while  the  recuperative  process  is 
going  on  that  will  prepare  us  for  the  next  day,  we 


Rev.  Dr. 
Park- 
hurst 


N.Y. 
C.  Ji.  J?, 
views 


are  not  obliged  to  sit  with  our  hands  in  our 
pockets  and  our  eyes  upon  the  clock,  dreamily 
waiting  until  it  is  time  once  more  to  begin. 

No  one  can  appreciate  that  most  blessed  and 
most  peculiar  of  mercies  until  he  has  suffered 
from  insomnia. 

God   never  did  a  kinder  thing  for  man  than 

to  make  him  able  to  sleep  when  he  is  sleepy. 

— C.  H.  Parkhurst. 

Sleep,  next  to  waking,  I  think  the  most  won- 
derful thing  in  life. 

— George  II.  Daniels. 


194 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sleep  is  the  solvent  of  loixgevity,  health  and 
work.  The  man  who  can  have  a  natural  slumber 
every  night  the  year  round,  of  eight  hours,  can 
move  the  world.  His  head  will  he  clear  no  mat- 
ter what  his  age ;  his  vigor  will  be  at  its  prime, 
and  he  will  dominate  whatever  association  he  is  in. 
Such  rest  demands  a  good  digestion  and  a  clear 
conscience.  Napoleon's  boast  was  that  he  slept 
but  four   hours   a  day,  but  he  died  at  fifty-two 

r         \  1-1  r  Contrib- 

and  then  had  a    faculty  which  all  men    of  great     utionbv 
capacity — and    1    have  known   several  who    take      c/muncfv 
only  four  hours  regular  sleep — have  of  catching 
naps  at  odd  moments,  even  on  horseback. 

Before  forty  a  man  makes  more  vitality  or 
steam  than  he  can  get  rid  of  by  ordinary  methods, 
so  he  must  take  to  sport  or  extra  labor.  After 
forty  there  comes  a  diminution  of  vitality  to  meet 
extra  strain  and  work.  If,  however,  in  the  even- 
ing of  life,  a  man  will  accustom  himself — and  he 
can— to  sleep  ten  minutes  after  his  day's  work  is 
over  and  take  ten  minutes  more  to  go  to  sleep,  he 
will  discover  that  the  reparation  of  that  ten  min- 
utes is  equivalent  to  an  ordinary  day's  vacation  ; 
all  of  which  means  that  if  you  want  to   live   long 


^9S 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


and  happy,  cultivate  that  temperance  in  all  things, 

right  doing  and  right  living,   by   which   you    can 

sleep  the  sleep  of  the  just. 

— Chax'xcey  M.  Depevv. 

Seventy-four  years  young,  I  am  good  for  twice 
that  by  economizing  life.  You  want  five  lines  on 
sleep  !      I  want  eight  hours  ! 

I  am  faster  than  any  train,  but  cannot  control 
my  sleep !      Eight  hours  sleep,  eight  work,  eight 
Train  pl^Y-      Everything    in    Nature   sleeps!      See  that 

snow!  It  gives  rest  to  soil!  Horses  die  if 
not  resting.  Man  is  only  animal  who  kills  sleep 
and  hunger  with  gorging  death ! 

— George  Francis  Train. 


Citizen 


Sleep,  good  sleep,  and  enough  of  it,  is  the 
prerequisite  of  all  pure,  brave,  true  and  well-bal- 
anced living,  if  that  living  is  to  be  more  than  the 
boatmen  call  a  spurt,  a  sudden  strain  which  can- 
not be  prolonged. 
Rev.  Dr.  Sleep  is  itself,  therefore,  the  fundamental  duty 

tf.f'ar         ^r  ^  Jutics.     Yct,  as  I  sec,  it  is  apt  to    be   left 
iiaic  without  a  thought  after  the  morning   salutation  : 

"  I  hope  you  slept  well," 

How  if  you  did  not  sleep   well  .^      I   suppose 

196 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


this  calm  indifference,  which,  indeed  is  almost 
heroic  in  its  stoicism,  springs  from  a  general  im- 
pression that  there  exists  such  a  mystery  about 
sleep  that  nothing  can  be  done  about  it  excepting 
wishing  well. 

I  find  that  the  cyclopaedia,  which  .seldom  con- 
siders itself  foiled,  speaks  of  sleep  as  a  "  mysteri- 
ous condition."   I  may  as  well  confess  that  it  is  not 
twenty-five  years  since  the  mere  physiological  con-     spiritual 
ditions  of  sleep  were  understood.   Till  very  lately     expert's 
the    old    mistake — as    old    as   Galean — has   been       r 
maintained,   which    supposed    that   in   sleep     the     sUe^ 
vessels  of  the  brain  were  gorged  with  blood,   and 
that  they  contained  a  greater   amount   of  blood 
than  in  waking. 

This  is  true  of  stupor,  but  it  is  not  true  of 
sleep.  The  old  Yankee  farmer  knew  better. 
When  he  wanted  to  sleep,  he  drew  out  the  fire, 
started  the  embers  anew,  "toasted  his  feet,"  as  he 
said;  that  is,  he  stimulated  the  circulation  of  his 
legs,  and  drew  blood  away  from  the  brain.  He 
could  not  have  explained  the  experiment,  but  he 
was  acting  on  the  true  philosophy. 

— Edward  Everett  Hale. 


97 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Sleep  ?  Ah  me,  that  Is  a  noble  thought !  Sleep 
is  the  joy  of  life.  It  Is  the  crowning  glory  of  the 
day.  Bringing  sparkle  to  health,  and  health  to 
the  ill.  It  makes  beauty  for  women  and  brings 
lustre  to  their  eyes. 

Sleep  1     Without  it  1  am  nothing. 


Oriental 
thotight 


-Wu  Ting  Fang. 


A  poet's 
value 


Death's  greatest  enemy,  and  the  terror  of  old 

age,  Sleep, — like  a  proud  beauty,  must  be  wooed, 

and  not  bullied,  to  be  won.     Without  It,  Croesus 

is  poor  ;  and  with  it.  Job  is  invulnerable. 

— John  Ernest  McCann. 


From 
IVall 
street 


Sleep  means  everything  to  a  man  —  good 
health,  good  looks,  spry  action,  will  power,  and 
self-confidence — all  being  essential  qualities  to 
force  success  In  worldly  affairs. 

My  secret  of  acquiring  sleep  is  to  "  keep 
moving"  all  day,  which  compels  sleep  by  night. 


-flENRY  Clews. 


Sleep  is  the  resting  time  of  consciousness  and 
of  muscular  activity ;  not  only  does  the  brain 
sleep  but  our  muscles  also  sleep. 

198 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


The  comfortable  purity  of  the  resting  place, 
and  the  proper  amount  of  fresh,  pure  air,  within 
the  chamber  are  absolutely  essential  in  order  that 
repose  may  be  as  perfect  as  possible. 

Just  as  the  brain  cells  are  building  up  and  re-     The 
newing  the  strength  lost  through  the  exertions  of     '"^vhy" 
the  day,  so  also  are  the  muscular  molecules  renew-     "l^iu^ 
ing  and  rebuilding  themselves  through  absorption,     expert 

In  order  that  this  function  shall   be  properly 

performed,  the  environment  of  the  sleeper  must  be 

ideal,  and  free  from  the  danger  of  germ  infection 

— especially  the  bacilli  that  lurk  in  animal  fibre. 

— Cyrus  Edson. 

In  my  opinion  sleep  is    a  habit,  acquired  by     From  the 
environment.       Like    all    habits    it    is    generally       /"' 

^  ^       of  Light 

carried  to  extremes.     The  man  that   sleeps   four 

hours  soundly  is  better  off  than  a  dreamy  sleeper 

of  eight  hours. 

— Thomas  A.  Edison. 

I  am  not  one  of  those  who  think  four  hours 
sleep  better  than  the  usual  eight  hours.  Napoleon 
thought  four  hours  sleep  enough,  but  when  he 
lived   on    St.   Helena   he   lived   long   enough   to 

199 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


know  that  the  theory  of  his  earlier  days  was  all 

wrong.    The  wisest  men  from  Socrates  to  Russell 

An  actor's     ^^g^  have  advocated  one-third  of  the  twenty-four 

view  hours    in   bed.     Walter  Savage  Landor  used  to 

spend  sixteen  hours  of  the  day  there,  and  he  lived 

for  89  years,  from  1775  to  1864. 

— N.  C.  Goodwin. 


OLD   SPANISH   CRADLE   FROM    SOUTHERN   CALIFORNIA 


200 


SLEEP  FACTS  AND  FANCIES. 

HE  sleep  of  a  healthy  child  is  the 
most  beautiful  thing  in  the  world  ; 
combining  fact  and  fancy  in  their 
highest  material  and  spiritual  states. 
What  a  world  of  golden  futures  is  possible  within 
the  circle  of  the  cradle.  What  an  unconscious  joy 
of  life.  What  a  rythm  of  pulsations  ebb  and  flow. 
What  perfect  machinery  moves  it  all.  What  a 
pose  for  the  poet.  What  a  message  for  mankind. 
Sleep  watches  o'er  it  and  smiles. 

On  the  road  between  Octylus  and  Thalamse 
is  the  temple  of  Ino.  It  is  the  custom  of  those 
who  consult  her  to  sleep  in  the  temple,  and  what 
thev  want  to  know  is  supposed  to  be  revealed  to 
them  in  dreams,  during  sleep. 

Between  sleeping  and  waking  is  Dreamland. 
When  we  are  neither  asleep  or  awake,  or  in  other 
words,  subconscious,  we  dream. 

20 1 


Poetic 

fancy 


Luid 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Day- 
dreanurs 


The  poor  man  dreams  of  riches,  the  rich 
man  of  poverty,  and  most  of  us  of  what  we 
want  or  dread  ;  not  of  what  we  have. 

But,  the  ideahst-dreamers  have  opened  for 
us  most  of  the  truth  and  beauty  of  the  earth. 

A  visionary  compromise  and  yet — a  perfect 
state  for  purity  of  thought. 

The  ideahst  is  always  a  "day-dreamer" —  a 
ne'er-do-weel,  according  to  the  world. 

Now  and  again  the  "  day-dreamer"  is  aroused; 
and  then  the  world  awakes — to  a  new  thought,  a 
noble  poem,  a  sublime  song,  a  masterpiece,  a 
divine  message. 


The 

moment 

of 
sleep 


Who  has  ever  known  the  moment  of  sleep  ? 
Who  is  there  who  has  not  tried  again  and  again 
to  be  conscious  of  that  moment  ?  No  matter 
how  conscious  one  may  be  up  to  the  moment  of 
sleep,  at  the  moment  he  is  unconscious  ;  for  then 
the  sensorial  functions  cease,  and  one  no  longer 
feels,  or  wills,  or  cares,  or  knows. 

How  dull  this  old  world  seems  after  a  night's 
unrest ;  how  beautiful  and  bright  after  a  good 
night's  sleep  ! 


202 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


"  How  happy  is  that  balm  to  wretches,  sleep  ! 

No  cares  perplex  them  for  their  future  state, 

And  fear  of  Death  thus  dies  in  senseless  sleep; 

Unruly  Love  is  this  way  lull'd  to  rest; 

And  injured  Honour,  when  redress  is  lost, 

In  no  way  solved  but  this." 

— Beaumont. 

A  renowned  French  financier  once  said: 
"Alas!  Why  is  there  no  sleep  to  be  sold?" 
Sleep  was  not  in  the  market  at  any  quotation. 

"  O,  listen  to  the  'sleepy  head' — 

Snore. 
Of  course  you  've  all  heard  of  this — 

Bore, 

Who  in  his  funny  flights 

Makes  discord  of  the  nights, 

O'er  and  oer." 

— Anonymous. 

"How  did  you  sleep,  General?"  asked  his 
guest,  Louis  Phillipe  one  morning,  of  the  master  ot 
the  house.     "  I  always  sleep  well,"  replied  General     ^" 

^  ^  .  .  anecdote 

Washington,   "for   I   never  wrote  a  line  in   my 
life,  which  I  had  afterward  cause  to  regret." 

"When  thou  risest   from    sleep  with  reluctance, 
remember  that  it  is  according  to  thy  constitution  and 

?.o3 


'The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


according  to  human  nature  to  perform  social  acts,  but 
sleeping  is  common  also  to  irrational  animals.  But 
that  which  is  according  to  each  individual's  nature  is 
also  more  suitable  to  its  nature,  and,  indeed,  more 
agreeable."  —Marcus  Aurelius. 

When  digestion  is  good,  heart  strong,  circula- 
tion free,  worry  absent,  nerves  in  tune,  one  sleeps. 

Sleeper — one  that  sleeps. 
Sleeper — that  in  which  the  sleeper  sleeps. 
Sleeper — that  on  which  the   sleeper  that   carries 
not  a  ^^^  sleeper  while  he  sleeps  runs. 

sleep  Therefore,  while  the  sleeper  sleeps  in  the  sleeper, 

thought  the  sleeper  carries  the  sleeper  over  the  sleeper  under 
the  sleeper  until  the  sleeper  that  carries  the  sleeper 
jumps  off  the  sleeper  and  wakes  the  sleeper  in  the 
sleeper  by  striking  the  sleeper  under  the  sleeper  and 
there  is  no  longer  any  sleeper  sleeping  in  the  sleeper 
of  the  sleeper. 
Next  ! 

When  a  former  Persian  ambassador  was  shown 
into  his  bedroom  in  Mivart's  Hotel,  where  a 
grand  canopied  state  bed  had  been  prepared  for 
him,  he  supposed  it  was  a  throne  in  his  audience 
chamber,  received  his  visitors  on  it,  and  retired  to 
sleep  on  the  carpet  in  the  corner  of  the  room. 

204 


The  Witchery  of  Sleep 


Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge  dreamt  out  his 
poetic  fragment,  "  Kubla  Khan,"  in  a  sleep  :  not 
only  the  idea,  but  the  very  lines: 

"In  Zanadee  did  Kubla  Khan 

A  stately  pleasure  dome  decree, 
Where  Alph,  the  sacred  river,  ran 
Thro'  caverns  measureless  to  man, 
Down  to  the  sunless  sea." 


De  Quincy,  or  Hazlitt,  or  Lamb,  woke  him 
up,  and  he  wrote  it  down  immediately.  Had  he 
not  been  aroused  out  of  his  sleep,  the  world 
might  have  had  one  of  the  most  beautiful  poetic 
works  in  the  language. 

One  cannot  possibly  sleep  without  closing 
the  eyes;  nor  pronounce  the  word  "sleep  "  with- 
out closing  the  mouth. 


Sleep, 


It  comes — 

Whence  ? 
It  goes — 

Whither  ? 
Who  can  tell  ? 


Born 
of  a 
dream 


205 


ADAPTATION    OF   F.GYPTIAN   ART 
MADE   IN   FRANCE   200   YEARS   AGO 


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